You might have seen some Family Tree employees’ pronouns listed in their email signature and on their business cards. Do you wonder why we do this?

Diversity/inclusiveness are important values at Family Tree. Especially for serving all people in the Denver metro area. Encouraging a safe environment for employees to identify preferred pronouns is one step to creating an inclusive environment.

Diversity/Inclusiveness has long-been a Family Tree core value and practice while serving the Denver metro area. The Family Tree Inclusiveness Committee includes Family Tree staff members committed to demonstrating a more inclusive environment for clients and staff. Family Tree offers services in the areas of child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness and recognizes that marginalized communities face many barriers when trying to access human service programs.

Robin describes herself as “feeling as broken as you can get” when she first came into seek services at Family Tree’s Legal Advocacy. This feeling that Robin described is not an uncommon feeling for many survivors of domestic violence, especially those who choose to pursue their case legally through a Protection Order, divorce, or custody matter.

Child abuse and neglect is heartbreaking. Family Tree works to stabilize and strengthen families in order to prevent and help families overcome child abuse.

Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week! From April 7-13, 2019, Family Tree is thrilled to recognize and honor all of the volunteers that have made our programs possible over the past year.

“Victoria had been in and out of foster care growing up. She didn’t want to enforce rules on her daughter, even though she was struggling with challenging tantrums and defiant behavior. As we worked through sessions in the parent-child interactions topic, Victoria was surprised to learn she could give out positive consequences. She was pleasantly surprised by the outcomes as she established rules for her home, provided positive consequences and saw a decrease in her daughter’s tantrums.” -SafeCare Colorado Parent Support Provider

Family Tree is pleased to announce the name change of Women In Crisis, the domestic violence emergency shelter, to Roots of Courage. This change is part of a continuing effort to be more inclusive and focused on empowerment for those served by Family Tree. Shelter director Tirzah Stein, explains the need for this change.

When I was living in New York City and working at a domestic violence shelter, I would ride the subway every day on my way to work and back. There was a lot to be distracted by, the breakdancing kids with their flips and tricks, the chorus of elderly men that would make you smile with their sweet songs, and the brightly colored ads that would catch your eye. It was never dull, and usually entertaining, but what bothered me were the signs about domestic violence awareness. No matter what train I was on, the signs were always the same.

As domestic violence awareness month is upon us, we feel it was important to discuss a common tool that is often considered by many survivors, protection orders.