I Would Never Want to Live That Again

Findings from in-depth interviews with women who completed intensive family preservation services are presented. Analysis of their narratives uncovered: discussion of challenges to maintaining family stability while meeting service plan requirements, conceptions of child safety, and factors that influence parenting beliefs. Using intersectional theory grounded in Black feminism, we center the lived experiences that inhere in mothers’ acquired knowledge of how service systems work to better understand their negotiation of service requirements within the context of their daily lives.