Hello,
On behalf of my niece Jane Jones, I want to let you know what a wonderful job Christine King has done during the time that she spent with Jane. From the fall of 2012 to now, Chris has been a priceless resource. She established a rapport of trust with Jane early on that gave my niece stability despite a volatile home situation. Jane has respected her judgment, and during the time that I’ve been involved, I’ve come to rely on Chris and her intuition. Because I’m an aunt and not a parent, I value the guidance that Chris has given me as Jane dealt with being taken from her home and coming to terms with new boundaries.
Chris has endured a great deal of frustration and demands on her time and patience, and she has never failed Jane, even when Jane’s parents have not upheld their responsibilities. She talks to Jane on a level that’s relevant to a teenager, she’s both consistent and resilient, she’s tried to help Jane’s mother, Marsha, to meet her maternal responsibilities, and she’s tried to help Paul, Jane’s dad, rebuild his relationship with Jane.
Jane has not always been able to trust her parents or their motives, but in Chris she has had a buffer to help her deal with flawed adults. And Chris is a realist – she doesn’t pretend that things are all right when they’re clearly not, but she understands that a child needs to have some level of belief in the love that their parents give. Chris is brave enough to be frank and to have expectations for Jane, and compassionate enough to understand when a teenager is hurting because so much in her life isn’t working the way it should.
The issues with Jane and school are longstanding, and I don’t know what the future holds when she returns home to her mother. But I’m very grateful to the Children’s Bureau and to Justice Works Youth Care for the depth of their involvement and the caliber of their staff. People often complain about social service agencies, but I have nothing but high praise for your work. I couldn’t do your job, but I’m very grateful that you have people like Chris on staff who do what has to be done to take care of children in need.
Thank you,
Marsha Jones, Jane Jones’s aunt
We thank Marsha for her kindhearted letter. We are proud to hear about the growth of Jane and appreciate Christine King for her “Whatever it takes” passion.