History

Our founder, Ashley Woodcock wanted to share with you all some of her reflections on the evolution of PWI.

Parenting With Intent was founded in 2011.

I began by working in coffee shops, out of my car, and at the lunch tables in Child Welfare branch offices. I did my best to make sense of the tangled web that is the Child Welfare system, and I learned so much. I learned that the system is extremely flawed and it is profoundly traumatic to children. I also learned that Child Welfare workers are asked to do an impossible job, and that has given me a great sense of empathy and compassion for the many dedicated and wonderful workers. I worked to develop meaningful, trusting and lasting relationships with workers, supervisors and managers. Through these relationships, PWI has been able to emerge and expand because DHS believes in our mission and trusts in our ability to provide helpful and effective services to their youth and their families.

Parenting With Intent was created with the hope of designing services that could focus on building strong connections in order to better support the complex needs of the populations we serve. We are a team who share in the commitment to seeing individuals for their strengths and who believe in the power of healthy relationships. Today, we are a dynamic, rapidly growing agency that employs more than 40 people and provides services to roughly 200 youth in Foster Care and 50 families involved in Child Welfare. I feel hopeful and excited to think of our future here at PWI. I’m confident that we will continue to listen to our community, challenge the status quo, and create better access to services that best meet the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.