Episode
Fractured Hope to Reform: One Mother’s Fight for Justice in Child Welfare with Rachel Bruno
- Podcast
- Fostering Change
- Published
- Feb 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1738
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://youtu.be/j1w6M8YMyEs
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Summary
This episode of Fostering Change was originally scheduled to air in March — but after recording, Rob Scheer felt the conversation was too important to wait. He personally requested that it be released early so listeners could hear it as soon as possible. Rob is joined by Rachel Bruno, a Nashville-based author, speaker, and advocate whose deeply personal experience with the child welfare system ignited a powerful call for accountability and reform. After her children were unlawfully removed by child protective services, Rachel found herself confronting a system where parental rights, due process, and family integrity are often overlooked. Instead of staying silent, she fought back — ultimately securing a seven-figure civil rights settlement and emerging as a leading national voice for families facing similar injustices. Rachel is the author of Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice and founder of Giver of Light, an organization dedicated to supporting families navigating child welfare involvement. Together, Rob and Rachel discuss hope after trauma, the urgent need for accountability, and why lived experience must guide ethical, child-centered reform. Episode Highlights • How one mother’s fight sparked national conversations about reform • What families experience when due process is ignored • Accountability and justice within child welfare • How Giver of Light supports families in crisis • Why lived experience belongs at the center of policy change 📘 Book Recommendation Rob strongly recommends Rachel’s book: Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice — a powerful firsthand account that exposes the realities families face inside the child welfare system and why reform is urgently needed. 👉 Get the book directly from Rachel: https://rachelbruno.com/book/ Purchasin…