A phone call from Child Protective Services changed Yajaera Chatterson’s life.
“There was an investigation against my sister, and my 11-month-old nephew was in danger,” Chatterson said.
When Chatterson received the call, she was living in the Northside neighborhood of Fort Worth with her husband and two sons. That one phone call in 2015 propelled her into a world of family law, where she would end up working for the same faith-based firm that helped her obtain custody of her nephew. Within six years of working for Methodist Justice Ministry, Chatterson has moved her way up to development director and spreads the word about how the firm has helped her and others in North Texas.
It was a Friday afternoon in December when Chatterson received that CPS call about her nephew. She said that they didn’t give her all the details at the time, but they did give Chatterson two options: she could become a voluntary caregiver for her nephew, Jovani, until the case was closed or let him go to foster care.
Chatterson and her husband, Aaron, didn’t hesitate to take him in.
“He came over and he was in a diaper and dirty car seat. You can tell he had been so severely neglected. He would just sit on the couch with no emotional expression. We knew something wasn’t right,” Chatterson said.
A voluntary caregiver is “someone who agrees to take care of a child while the parents are involved in a CPS investigation,” according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. In this role, Chatterson was responsible for caring for Jovani but didn’t have legal custody. This meant Jovani would have needed parental approval to receive his insurance information or to take him to the doctor.
“There was definitely a lot of frustration, a lot of waiting, a lot of hurdles and doors closed. That lasted for months,” Chatterson said.
A caseworker recommended that Chatterson reach out to the Methodist Justice Ministry. In August 2016, she gave the firm a call.
“I was very much in crisis mode,” Chatterson said. “I need help. I have this vulnerable child, I can take care of him. The parents are on drugs and in a violent relationship, and the child’s life was in danger,” Chatterson said as she recalled her conversation with Norma Serrano, the executive legal assistant and office manager.
Methodist Justice Ministry helped the Chattersons secure temporary custody of Jovani, while they were waiting for a final decision on the “Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship,” or SAPCR for short. SAPCR is a type of custody case where “a judge can make custody, visitation, child support, medical support, and dental support orders,” according to TexasLawHep.org.
Chatterson worked with Jodie Connaughton, Methodist Justice Ministry’s legal director and attorney. Connaughton helped Chatterson and her husband obtain primary custody of Jovani in November 2017. Soon after the case ended, Chatterson moved from being a client to an employee. Since then, Chatterson has been trying to help caregivers and victims of abuse, neglect, or violence and spread the word about the Methodist Justice Ministry across Tarrant and Johnson counties.
Chatterson, a first-generation American, grew up in Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood for the majority of her life. She went to North Side High School, Tarrant County College and graduated with a degree in social work from the University of North Texas.
At the time that the Chattersons obtained custody of Jovani, Aaron was the breadwinner, she said. To help support her family financially, Yajaera was looking for a job that would combine her education in social work with her faith.
“So I prayed about it and I asked, ‘What’s the next chapter for me? Where’s my career going to evolve from here?’ The very next week, Jodie Connaughton offered me an interview for the position of intake director,” Chatterson said.
Chatterson started with the Methodist Justice Ministry in September 2017. As an intake director at the firm, she took 25-30 phone calls a week and became the other person on the other end of the line, who was able to guide, listen and walk people through their legal process. During these calls the Methodist Justice Ministry will screen potential clients based on these eligibility criteria.
- Callers must live within Tarrant County or Johnson County
- The situation must be within family law, which covers conservatorship, guardianship, divorce, custody, temporary orders, termination of parental rights, adoption and more, according to the Texas State Law Library.
- The case involves a form of violence
Six years later, Chatterson moved up from intake director, to program manager and development associate and now to development director. Since taking the role in April 2023, Chatterson visits with agencies and foundations to help fundraise and market the law firm that once helped her family.
“Little did I know that God had given me the life experience that I need to kick off my career,” Chatterson said.
Methodist Justice Ministry has three attorneys and files about 10 lawsuits each month, Chatterson said.
About half of the staff are former clients like herself, Chatterson said.
“Methodist Justice Ministry clients like myself, are oftentimes thrown into this role with open hearts,” Chatterson said. “So when someone calls for help, they’re talking to someone who gets it.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter at @marissaygreene.
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