Nora McCarthy

An “upstream” approach should not be an argument for expanding the size or scope of child welfare systems, writes Nora McCarthy.

By Nora McCarthy

Nora McCarthy on the value of developing restorative pathways for families to achieve safety without system involvement

By Michael Fitzgerald Fifteen years ago, Nora McCarthy launched a unique publishing project to give child welfare-involved parents an opportunity to see their often-overlooked perspectives in print, through a magazine called Rise, which exclusively features their essays and interviews.

In recent years, New York City’s child welfare leadership has proudly told the story of how the system has dramatically reduced the number of children in foster care while maintaining child safety.

Lakisha had an idea: “Why don’t they give us a handbook?” Lindsay added: “Yeah, why am I finding out about my rights here? Now?” Both were parents with children in foster care who had joined a weekly writing group I ran at a child welfare services agency called Graham Windham.