The inspiration behind "Compassionate & Resilient Schools"

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"Transitioning from child welfare into school social work was more difficult than I expected. My second year in the school system, I remember hearing staff members attempt to trouble shoot and figure out what was going on with a child who was acting out behaviorally. Upon learning this child's name, I felt as though a ton of bricks had fallen upon me and my heart was heavily burdened. I immediately felt responsible. In that very moment, I was called to support teachers so that they could understand & connect with this child. I felt responsible because this was a child who I had previously worked with as a social worker in child welfare. I knew this child's story and, although the behaviors we were seeing at school did not make sense to many of my colleagues, his behaviors made perfect sense to me. Due to the trauma he had experienced so far in his life, he did not trust us (school staff) and was in a constant state of survival. From there, I approached Brandi Reagan at The Dragonfly House and we began discussing how we could best advocate for, not only children who've been abused/neglected, but every student in all of our schools...  and this was the beginning of CRS."  Aubrey Draughn​