Afraid to Ask for Help: New HOPE585 Report Elevates Voices of 21 Monroe County Women

Rochester, N.Y.- On Thursday, October 29, HOPE585 will release Voices of Experience: Findings from Focus Groups with Women Impacted by the Child Welfare System, a new report revealing how fear of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations and family separation can prevent parents from seeking the help they need to keep their families safe and stable.

Through four focus groups, 21 Monroe County women shared their experiences navigating the child welfare system, the barriers they encountered when seeking support, and their recommendations for systems change.

Their accounts reveal troubling concerns about how families are treated, including unmet basic needs being interpreted as neglect, inadequate responses to children's behavioral and mental health challenges, racial and economic bias, and a lack of transparency about parental rights.

“There has to be a place where you can ask for help without it being used against you,” one participant shared.

Women described seeking assistance with housing, childcare, and mental health services, only to face CPS investigations rather than receiving the support they requested. Others reported that schools and service providers lacked the training or resources to appropriately respond to children with autism and complex behavioral needs, sometimes escalating family challenges into child welfare involvement.

Participants also described feeling presumed guilty during investigations, receiving little information about their rights, and fearing retaliation when advocating for themselves. For some, the consequences extended well beyond an investigation, including prolonged family separation, emotional trauma, and lasting distrust of institutions intended to protect children.

“What stands out to me is that these women were not asking for less accountability. They were asking for support, dignity, and the opportunity to care for their children without living in fear,” said Dr. Ashley R. Cross, Executive Director of HOPE585. “This report challenges us to examine whether our current approach is truly strengthening families or creating additional barriers for parents who are already struggling.”

The findings come amid broader concerns about child welfare practices in Monroe County. According to previous HOPE585 research cited in the report, 76% of CPS investigations in Monroe County close without a finding of child maltreatment. Additionally, county data from 2021–2023 show that Black children were 5.5 times more likely and Hispanic children 3.5 times more likely to enter foster care than White children.

The report is accompanied by a legislative brief outlining recommendations to strengthen families, including investment in trusted community-based prevention services, independent parent advocacy, greater transparency and accountability, and trauma-informed practices that recognize the potential harm of family separation.

“These findings make it clear that families need access to support without fear of punishment,” said Brandy Shaw, co-author of the report and HOPE585's Manager of Advocacy and Policy. “When poverty and unmet basic needs are treated as indicators of parental failure, we risk causing further harm to the very families we should be supporting. The women who participated in this report have given us a clear direction for change. Now it is our responsibility to turn their recommendations into meaningful policy and practice.”

HOPE585 calls on Monroe County policymakers, service providers, and community leaders to examine these findings and work alongside parents with lived experience to advance reforms that strengthen families, protect children, and reduce unnecessary system involvement.

The Voices of Experience report and accompanying legislative brief will be available beginning Thursday, October 29, 2026, at noon ET, at hope585.org. About HOPE585

HOPE585 is a relationship-centered community where system-impacted youth and their families can hope, heal, and thrive. Through prevention, intervention, advocacy, and community-based support, HOPE585 strengthens families, builds meaningful relationships, and connects youth and families with the resources they need to move toward stability and a hopeful future.