Ashley Jackson, a member of FamiliesFirst Network’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC), received the Parent with Lived Experience Leadership Award from the Florida Coalition for Children. This prestigious honor celebrates parents who have faced and overcome significant life challenges and now use that strength to lead, inspire and transform their communities.
Ashley’s journey has not been an easy one. Raised in a household where both parents struggled with addiction, Ashley was exposed to abuse and instability from a young age. “I come from what professionals would call an ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) nightmare,” she says. “Both of my parents were addicts and alcoholics. My mother, in her own brokenness, kept us from our father while she battled her demons—often blacked out drunk and heavily medicated. From an early age, I was forced to become a parent to my younger siblings. I grew up in chaos, abuse and fear, with my only focus being survival.”
At the age of 14, Ashley was removed from her mother’s care and placed with her father, who had just begun his own recovery journey. This pivotal move provided her with stability and love for the first time. Ashley’s father enrolled her in a Christian school, and with her newfound stability and confidence, she began working and took on leadership roles.
However, at the age of 16, Ashley faced significant challenges. She struggled with chronic pain and was prescribed multiple opioid medications. Fearing that she might follow in her parents’ footsteps toward addiction, she made the difficult decision to stop taking the medication and manage her pain on her own. By 21, Ashley became a mother to a daughter with special needs. The demands of motherhood, combined with her own mental health struggles, left her feeling overwhelmed. Despite these challenges, she continued to push forward, entering pain management, marrying and having more children. Ashley tried to balance her personal struggles while remaining free from addiction. But after losing her father to cancer and helping to care for her nieces and nephews while her sister faced her own addiction issues, the weight of it all became overwhelming. Her ongoing struggles with opioid addiction led to increased substance use, and she eventually lost custody of her children. As a result, her life began to fall apart.
With nothing left to lose, Ashley was left to confront the reality of her addiction. She recognized she wasn’t in a place to care for her children at the time. She often felt that no one believed she could turn her life around or have a happy ending. Fortunately, others stepped in with compassion and belief in her potential—two dedicated case workers and the medical foster parents who cared for her oldest child. Their encouragement, combined with Ashley’s determination, helped her reclaim her life and reunite with her children. After securing employment and finding purpose in peer support, she became a mentor through the Women and Family Intervention Services program, a trauma-informed program for women who are struggling with substance use disorders. She now serves on FamiliesFirst Network’s Parental Advisory Council (PAC), advocating for families navigating similar struggles. “I joined PAC thinking I was going to change everything,” Ashley says. “But I learned the system is more complex than I realized. The best way forward is collaboration—parents and child welfare workers working together to make it better. I encourage those who have the same feelings I had to join me and channel that into improving the system.” She now works to transform systems from within, proving that everyone deserves a second chance and that reunification is possible.
“The most important thing for parents to know is this: you are not alone,” she says. “We hear you. We understand. If you can find the strength and courage to make it through and cope out the other side, know that we’re still here and ready to support you, listen to you and walk alongside you.”
Ashley now works as a peer specialist for Lakeview Center – the behavioral health division of FamiliesFirst Network’s parent company, LifeView Group. In this role as a peer specialist for Lakeview Center, Ashley provides empathy and unwavering support to those navigating mental health and substance use challenges. Her commitment extends to staff development, quality reviews, and community collaboration, ensuring that every voice is heard. Through her work, Ashley fosters healing, connection and empowerment for families.
Each year, FamiliesFirst Network works with more than 3,000 children from Escambia to Walton County. Our specially trained case managers support children and families with a wide range of needs – from outside of the home in foster or adoptive care, to prevention services inside the biological home, working to keep families together.
If you’d like to support our work helping parents like Ashley find success and stability, please donate online today