Team members at the Childhelp Foster Family and Adoption Agency call him Grim. He gets up around 3am, says his prayers, makes coffee, watches a few shows, and comes into the office centered and ready to begin his advocacy for children. While there is a lot of documentation, reports and reviews, for Grim, it’s all about building relationships and inhabiting the spaces of the children he serves.

For LaToya Brown, building rapport with a new client is essential. While she draws from her own foster care experiences, she makes it clear, “It’s not about me, it’s about that child.” LaToya really started to find her voice in California Youth Connections meetings. LaToya had some breakthroughs in meeting with a therapist during her undergraduate studies. LaToya has clearly come into her own.

Childhelp operates the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1‑800‑4‑A‑CHILD, focusing on child abuse and neglect prevention & intervention. The Hotline is staffed by master’s-level crisis intervention professionals who provide confidential services in more than 170 languages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.