Respite care provides critical support for a traumatized young boy and works to reunite him with his father

Parker has not had an easy life. The county determined that he would be safer with another relative as his primary placement after his mother was arrested for drug use at the hotel where they were living, and placed into the custody of paternal relatives. Although he was placed into the custody of family members, he needed Northern Virginia Family Service’s (NVFS) respite care services to help him cope with his extensive trauma history and coinciding mental health issues as a result of his exposure to drugs.

Parker’s treatment team and his relatives worked together for a little more than a year to make sure Parker had ample assistance, while also providing his relatives with the opportunity for self-care and an expanded support system to help them meet Parker’s needs. Meanwhile, his father was completing his college degree so that he could be better equipped to raise and support his son.

Shortly after graduation, his father received a job offer nearby that would allow him to become more involved in Parker’s life. Parker’s therapist and psychiatrist are now working to reintroduce father and son, and in the next year or two, transition care over to him. Although the process will not happen quickly, the end result of a reunited family provides the promise of a happier, brighter future for Parker.