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

THE WALLS STARTED TO COME DOWN

November 10, 2021 • Institute for Family • Season 1 • Episode 6

Brett and Jessica Crisp have been married for over a decade and have a 9-year-old adopted son. They served as licensed foster parents with Children’s Home Society of North Carolina from 2016 to 2020. Through their experiences as adoptive parents and former foster parents, they have become advocates for reunification, as well as parents and foster parents working together.

SHOW NOTES
00:01:25 | How do children in foster care bond with foster parents?

00:03:38 | Hear from the Crisps’ about the first visitation with London’s parents as they recall seeing their joy in seeing their daughter, but also fear of letting their guards down.

00:08:28 | At what point did the Crisps’ relationship with London’s parents take a turn?

00:19:00 | As London’s parents and the Crisps’ relationship improved over time, both families found themselves having a deep connection.

00:21:31 | The court issues a continuance on London’s case for an additional three months after a 14-month separation.

00:23:27 | How can foster care families advocate for birth parents and families?

00:28:08 | London’s case is suddenly dropped and the Crisps are told that within a day, she needs to go home to her birth parents.

00:34:04 | Shortly after London reunified with her birth family, her parents reach out to the Crisps to stay connected.

00:39:15 | What do the Crisps want people to learn and take away from their story?

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