Cadence’s Story

Angela has the living experience of being a parent to three children, two of whom are internationally adopted and both with exceptionalities. Angela’s daughter, Cadence, was adopted from Haiti in 2008 at the age of two. Cadence spent the first two years of her life in an orphanage with a considerable deficit in attention and care. As a result, Cadence experienced significant adjustment challenges that resulted in episodes of behaviour, aggression and dissociation. Ultimately, Cadence was described as having complex mental health with multiple diagnoses.

Finding and accessing the appropriate services for Cadence proved to be very difficult. Angela sought out and accessed multiple avenues of support such as, their family physician, social workers, psychologists, the Child and Parent Resource Institute and local children’s mental health services. Eventually, both Cadence and the family, made it to the appropriate services and supports. One of the most significant supports for the family was being able to access in-home respite services with an educated and trained support provider.

It was this experience that prompted Angela to decide to move forward with establishing Cadence’s Staffing Services with Audley, in the hopes that this type of meaningful support will make a difference in the lives of other individuals and families.