Change a Child's Story - that's what CASA volunteers do!
CASA Advocate Kelly was assigned to a sibling group of two, school-age children who were struggling in foster care. Their foster home was reporting very concerning behaviors and observations about the children. The reports from foster parents seemed to indicate that the children’s behavior was so extreme that they may benefit from intensive, residential treatment. Once involved, the CASA immediately started noticing red flags when she had contact or interactions with the children’s foster parents. Kelly continued to visit the children every other week. Together, they built a trusting relationship in which the children would open up to Kelly about how things were going. After a few months, the children voiced that they were experiencing abuse and neglect in their current foster home. CASA Kelly immediately reported the abuse and ensured the children were moved to a safe, permanent home. After the children settled into their new home, the foster parents reported positive behavior and painted a completely different picture of the children who had been deemed “unmanageable” by their previous home. The children absolutely thrived in their new home and school and were able to be adopted 6 months after placement with their new family. The outcome for the children would have been very different had the CASA not taken the time to build a relationship with the children, be present in the foster home, and evaluate the case thoroughly and diligently. We are thankful for CASA Advocates, like Kelly, who took the time to make a difference and truly changed a child’s story.
