Briana H. is a Washington state native who grew up in a small town in central Washington. After high school she continued her education at college in North Idaho, focusing her studies on childhood development which was a passion area for Briana she planned to pursue as a career path. 

Briana’s pursuit of her professional dreams came to a halt in 2019. Pregnant and dealing with substance use issues, Briana’s daughter was placed on a hospital hold immediately after her birth on July 10. Following five days in the NICU, she was released to the care of her paternal grandparents, a traumatizing separation from her biological mother at a critical young age.

“I was ready to make changes to be the mom my daughter deserved.”

Briana knew she needed to do the hard work to heal and reunite with her daughter. Her only goal was to get healthy and stable as quickly as possible in order to be together full-time. Following a two-month separation period, Briana was able to participate in a unique in-patient program where mother and daughter could cohabitate while she worked through her rehabilitation and reunification process. This included mental health assessments, court-ordered appointments, and home-visiting and parenting classes through Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW).

Briana successfully completed her rehabilitation program and moved back home with her family. She credits much of her successful reunification to her strong support system including her mother, legal team, OPD social worker, DCYF social worker, and CHSW team members who were all invested in the family’s success, providing crucial help to move through trauma.

Briana and her daughter continued working with CHSW following reunification through the Early Head Start home visiting program. “I am so proud of Briana and the work she is doing,” said Jazymn Long, CHSW Early Learning family navigator. “To see her growth as a mommy and an advocate for other parents – it’s incredible!”

After Briana’s case closed, she reflected with her social worker on the experience, stating it would have been beneficial to have a peer who had been through this nightmare before to help support someone new to navigating the process.

She then learned of CHSW’s Parents for Parents program: a peer mentoring program supported by parents who have successfully reunified with their children for families new to navigating the child welfare system.

The program was not yet available in Briana’s area when she was going through her dependency case, but it expanded to North Central Washington soon after her case closed, and her social worker urged her to apply as the program coordinator. Briana has been successful as a parent ally in the Parents for Parents program coordinator role for two years, playing a critical support role for other families navigating their own dependency case.

“I was fortunate to have so many supportive people through my reunification process,” said Briana. “The biggest lesson I learned: Never be closed off that you can use help. There are always things you can improve about yourself, your situation and relationships, so don’t be afraid to use the resources offered and lean on people who are there to support your success.”

Briana’s family is expanding in fall 2023 with her second child.

 Heather Cantamessa is the director of family impact for CHSW