MY DARKEST MOMENT WAS NO LONGER GOING TO BE BLEAK Artwork

Seen Out Loud

Seen Out Loud is a show about disrupting the child welfare system by the simple act of seeing families in their full humanity. Seeing people for who they truly are, and learning from their stories, offers new perspectives and compelling insights that can lead to radical transformation of America’s foster care system. Listen with us to families as they share deeply personal stories about their experiences with the child welfare system. Hear them express how the moments they were finally seen and valued shaped the trajectories of their lives. In this podcast, we accompany these stories with conversations about the work happening on the front lines of the family well-being movement—a collective effort aimed at meeting the needs of families to prevent systems intervention and the removal of children from parents. Hear leaders of the movement describe how they are actively building a future where families are engaged in systems work and have what they need to stay together and thrive.

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Seen Out Loud

MY DARKEST MOMENT WAS NO LONGER GOING TO BE BLEAK

October 27, 2021 • Institute for Family • Season 1 • Episode 4

Hear from Alise Morrissey about the impacts of individuals—a volunteer, a judge, an attorney, and a program leader—who offered glimmers of hope by seeing her for who she was instead of her circumstances. Alise tells her story of going from straight-A student to giving birth amidst a prison sentence. She reveals how her faith, the people who showed her kindness, and the determination of being there for her child led to recovery from substance use disorder and reunification with her daughter.

Show Notes
00:00:55 | Meet Alise Morrissey and hear her story from formative years to young adulthood where Alise recalls how her mom was her biggest cheerleader.

00:02:55 | Alise shares how she started to feel angry and rebel in her preteen years.

00:09:00 | What supports are offered to young Alise when she finds out she is expecting while incarcerated in the short term?

00:12:30 | What happens when pregnant women with substance use disorder aren’t met with empathy and understanding over judgement?

00:15:30 | Hear from Alise on how one inspiring person had a profound impact on her spirituality and life.

00:21:02 | As an indigent inmate and while her daughter is a few months old, Alise describes writing 60-70 kites or messages requesting to learn more about her case and find out what’s happening with her child.

00:23:40 | Alise describes being met where she was, as one attorney fought on her behalf and on behalf of her baby.

00:24:30 | Alise describes meeting a CASA advocate that “saw beyond the yuck,” and decided that in order to support Alise’s child she had to get to know the birth parent.

00:26:40 | Alise describes the effects of having two voices follow her through treatment.

00:30:55 | What happens when a birth parent gets to connect with the foster family?

00:33:40 | Hear from Alise on why professionals should embrace the messiness of co-parenting.

00:35:34 | What is the “Parent to Parent” program?

00:41:40 | Advice from Alise on how to communicate with skeptics about families affected by the child welfare system.

00:44:00 | Final thoughts from Matt.

Resources

Supporting Young Parents: State and local examples | Child Welfare Information Gateway

Supporting Children and Families Affected by Parental Incarceration | Child Welfare Information Gateway

King County’s Parents for Parents program

Nacy Roberts-Brown, Former Director of Catalyst for Kids, Washington

Transforming Hearts and Minds Through Valuing Parent Voice | Children's Bureau Express

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