Wisconsin Family Ties works with and advocates on behalf of families with children or adolescents who have emotional, behavior, or mental disorders.
The family of a 10-year-old boy, adopted as a baby from Russia, contacted Wisconsin Family Ties (WFT) to get help in dealing with the boy’s reactive attachment disorder and ADHD. The WFT Family Advocate, an adoptive mom herself, helped by working with Social Services and with the school’s special education team—and helped the mother create more positive and collaborative relationships with those professionals. For the first time teachers and the Social Services team began showing greater support to the parents. The Advocate also gave understanding and encouragement to the mom in 1:1 coffee chats. The family came from wanting to terminate their adoption to having the best summer and the best start to the school year ever. “The mom now smiles and giggles through our coffee support meetings,” said the Advocate. “We still chat about the difficulties their family is experiencing, but she now approaches it with a new, more positive outlook.”
Other Milestones 
- Wisconsin Family Ties supported families at 212 school meetings and 378 Social Services “wraparound” team meetings.
- Over 1,800 individuals attended Wisconsin Family Ties’ trainings, workshops, or presentations.
- Wisconsin Family Ties served 816 parents / caregivers and youth through its support groups.
