“Each day as a family peer advocate looks different. One day, it could be you get a referral to a child who’s having a hard time attending school and has been absent frequently. So we go and get consent from the person who called and set up the initial visit, often at the child’s home. The parents often look scared. They have strangers in their home, and they’re worried their child will be taken away. Part of my role is I explain that we are not there to evaluate them or take their child away. Everything is voluntary, they don't have to do anything they don't want to do, but if they do want help, I share what some of the things we can offer are. I can see the change in their faces as they understand, and they’re much happier to have us come in. I think a lot of parents in times of crisis or when they’re feeling hopeless forget that they have a voice as well. I’m there to help be that voice and ask what can we do to advocate for your needs and your child's needs? "One particular case that I had a while back was a young man struggling with social anxiety who had missed more than two months of school. Managing social anxiety in the city is not easy - you're not able to go for a walk and just be by yourself. You're going to see a lot of people. We set up weekly meetings with him, and every session was scheduled at his school. And he might have been late to school, but he never missed a session, and he continued going to school ever since." Genesis Miranda is a family peer advocate with ABC’s Children’s Mobile Crisis Team. (fb)

The kids at Cody Gifford House were very excited to see their brand-new ball pit! They’ve had a blast playing together, exploring sensory play, and getting lost in this moving rainbow of colors. We managed to capture some of that joy in these photos. (fb)