Navigating the state’s Family Protective Services can be an overwhelming experience for children and parents. Dallas Council member Cara Mendelsohn wanted to help by creating a more welcoming environment. She decided to participate in the department’s room adoption program.
The rooms don’t provide the largest space, but the impact and interactions that happen there are critical. It’s why council member Mendelsohn rounded up her family to do a little rearranging and redecorating on Monday.
A recent tour of the Department of Family and Protective Services opened her eyes to the need for more inviting visitation rooms.
“I was a little bit shocked to see these visitation rooms,” she said. “They were very stark. And when you know that families are in trauma and they’re trying to reconnect and build a relationship, it wasn’t really the right setting.”
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
She soon discovered she could adopt a room and jumped at the opportunity to collect and purchase toys, furniture and educational items. She even brought in chairs from her office at City Hall.
Angela Rivers is a Budget Analyst for Child Protective Services. She said state funding allows for very minimal furnishing inside the visitation rooms.
“A large table and chairs are provided, just the essentials,” said Rivers.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
They rely heavily on donations and volunteers to transform the space.
“Of course, they miss their parents,” she said. “So, when they come in and they see an inviting space that’s colorful and full of books and toys, their eyes just light up.”
Individuals or groups can adopt rooms – and some do it with specific themes in mind. There’s a galaxy-themed room and an aquatic-themed room at the Dallas DFPS office off Stemmons Freeway.
“They might come in and paint a mural. They have bookshelves, they bring books, they bring toys,” Rivers said.
The City of Dallas does not have a say in the governance or funding of the Department of Family and Protective Services. Mendelsohn said this is simply a labor of love – one she hopes will inspire others to do the same.
Rivers said, with more volunteers, there are unlimited possibilities.
“I would like for all of the rooms to be adopted,” she said. “That’s my vision.”
Several FPS offices exist in the region, presenting plenty of opportunities for family-room adoptions across North Texas. The department only requires that rooms are maintained with monthly visits.
For more information visit
http://www.tccwb.org/boards/local-boards/dallas/ or https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/
