Leslie and Daniel’s two children were removed from their Randolph County home due to substance abuse in August, 2023. The children were placed with a relative in Saline County three hours away. When Leslie connected with the 100 Families Initiative a few months later, she was living in a van near her children. Her husband Daniel had just entered the in-patient recovery program with M-18 Recovery in Little Rock.
100 Families of Pulaski County alongside the parents, M-18 Recovery, City Serve, New Life Church, the Division of Children and Family Services, CASA, courts, judges, and more got to work surrounding this family with support.
The family received recovery services, parenting education, marriage and family counseling, legal assistance, housing assistance, budgeting education, employment services, physical health, mental health services, dental health, education services, SNAP, Medicaid, community services hours, mentorship, and the social support of a local church community. The 100 Families Initiative of Pulaski County met for monthly meetings with the Division of Children and Family Services to share progress reports.
By the Skaggs' court date in May 2024, Daniel was fully employed, Leslie had returned to school at Strayer University to complete her bachelor’s degree, and they had just moved into a 3-bedroom rental home.
The caseworker for the Division of Children and Family Services asked the judge to allow the family to take the stand and tell the judge all they had accomplished. The judge questioned the family particularly about the 100 Families Initiative, how they connected families to resources and continued alongside the family and the care team throughout their time of need. The 100 Families Initiative representatives present would later learn of how this judge called to request the same initiative in Randolph County.
When the judge declared that one of the children, Thomas, would be reunited on a trial home placement with his parents, cheers rang through the courtroom.
The Skaggs have come a long way already and although they have yet to be reunited with their second child, they are determined to use their lived experience to help others who struggle with substance abuse. Daniel is currently an employee of M-18 Recovery and serves beside the Men’s Recovery while also attending the School of Ministry. Leslie has gone through the case management training on Hope Hub and now provides case management and resources to the men and women of M-18 recovery.
The 100 Families Initiative, which works to move families from crisis to stability to career, will continue to serve the Skaggs family. Their comprehensive network of support will stay in place so the family is helped holistically.
Smart Justice is a magazine, podcast, and continuing news coverage from the nonprofit Restore Hope and covers the pursuit of better outcomes on justice system-related issues, such as child welfare, incarceration, and juvenile justice. Our coverage is solutions-oriented, focusing on the innovative ways in which communities are solving issues and the lessons that have been learned as a result of successes and challenges.
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