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ARIZONA News Empty ARIZONA News

Post by TomTerrific0420 Tue May 25, 2010 11:24 am

CASA's work for kids deserves our praise





by Rebecca White Berch
The great majority of us cherish our children, marvel at their
innocence, and ache when they hurt. We can't imagine the rage,
desperation, callousness, stress, ignorance, drug abuse or mental
illness that would cause a parent to harm her child, nor can we envision
that anyone would so neglect or harm a child that the state must
intervene to keep the child safe. But it happens every day. Each day,
more than 800 from across the nation join the ranks of children in
foster care. There are approximately 10,000 children in out-of-home care
in Arizona.
May is National Foster Care Month. While we could dwell on the
traumatic situations that these children have witnessed, during this
month we should also celebrate the resilience that helps them survive -
and often flourish. We should also celebrate those who help protect the
children and find a safe place for them to stay.A program within the administrative office of the Arizona Supreme
Court helps ensure that foster children are placed in safe, permanent
homes. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs in Arizona
are among more than 950 programs nationwide. They operate in all 15
counties, recruiting and training community volunteers to help find safe
and permanent placements for these children so that Arizona's children
in foster care do not spend the national average of two years in foster
care, moving as often as 15 times. Such children face hardships in
school, cannot maintain friendships and may lack a sense of belonging.
CASA volunteers are special people. They get to know the child and
get involved in the child's case. They become the eyes and the ears for
judges outside of the courtroom. It is one way we can let our foster
children know they are not alone in the challenging journey they are on.
CASA works within the Arizona court system to give foster children a
voice in the legal system and is an integral way that citizens can
affect child welfare in a positive way.
This month, think about the children who are not in their own homes.
Celebrate their will to overcome adversity that was not of their making.
Like other children, those in foster care deserve a safe, secure and
loving home, one in which the child is encouraged to grow and develop.
Arizona's courts are committed to serving these vulnerable children.
Volunteers in the CASA program help us fulfill that commitment on a
daily basis.
The CASA program provides training to prepare volunteers for their
roles as child advocates and provides on-going support. Help spread
awareness about the advocacy work CASA volunteers are doing to help
displaced children. Find out more about CASA by visiting www.azcasa.org.
Rebecca White Berch is Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court
TomTerrific0420
TomTerrific0420
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Post by TomTerrific0420 Sat May 29, 2010 3:09 am

Dr. Hannah Rishel Is Honored With Distinguished Victim Service Award

May 28th, 2010

Holbrook pediatrician Hannah Rishel is the first recipient of the Distinguished Victim Service
Award established by Navajo County Sheriff K.C. Clark and County Attorney Brad
Carlyon to honor individuals who have benefitted victims of crime in Navajo County.

“No one has done more for victims of child abuse in our county than Hannah since her arrival
here 15 years ago,” Carlyon said. “There could not have been a more fitting selection.”

Dr. Sheila Bloomquist, as well as the nurses and staff of North Country HealthCare, nominated
Dr.Rishel for the award. The nomination emphasized that Rishel has helped
hundreds of children and concerned parents identify and recover from the
devastating effects of child abuse.

According to Carlyon, her impact has been far-reaching and her contributions continue to be
felt and will be felt by many yet unborn who will have the opportunity to enter a
safer community because of the work she has done.

Her many accomplishments include providing pediatric clinics in Holbrook, Joseph City, Pinetop
and Winslow, being a founding member of ICAN, helping to write Navajo
County’s first multidisciplinary protocol for the investigation of child abuse
and conducting more than 25 medical examinations of suspected child abuse
victims every year since 2002.

According to the nomination,
“Dr. Rishel has helped bring the perpetrators of child abuse to justice,
and has worked consistently and successfully with law enforcement in a
variety of capacities. Dr. Rishel has consistently been available for advice,
forensic examinations, counsel and input at any time and on a moment’s notice, and she has
given much without thought of recognition or compensation.

“We’re happy to be able to honor Hannah with this first award because it has been and
continues to be an honor for all of us to work with her and be inspired by her
example,” Carlyon said.
TomTerrific0420
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Post by TomTerrific0420 Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:07 pm

A CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer is needed to
serve as a "Baby CASA" for 2-year-old "Ben" and his 5-month old sister,
"Abby." Child Protective Services (CPS) removed the children from their
home due to the mother's history of substance abuse, mental illness,
neglect of the children and incidents of domestic violence. The father
has abandoned the family.

Among the Baby CASA volunteer's responsibilities: Monitoring the progress of the children in
their foster home, to help ensure that their needs are being met;
assisting CPS in working with the mother (and the father, if he can be
located), to determine whether either or both would be willing and able
to participate in appropriate treatment services (parenting classes,
anger management, behavioral therapy and substance abuse services in the
case of the mother); participating in monthly meetings with Baby CASA
volunteers and other team members to discuss the progress of the
children and ensure that they receive screening and services for
age-appropriate developmental milestones and medical care; working with
CPS to identify other relatives who might be able to assist the parents
in their efforts to be able to care for the children or to provide an
adoptive home, if necessary; and making recommendations to the judge as
to the best long-term placement for these children. CASA volunteers need
to provide information to the court at report and review hearings
throughout the life of a case.

If you are interested in becoming a CASA volunteer for this case or a similar one,
and making a difference in the life of a child, please contact the CASA office at 928-771-3165.
TomTerrific0420
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Post by twinkletoes Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:02 pm


Deadly child abuse cases reach new record in Arizona


ARIZONA News 60261663e72cca34aca822b2a6673d5bda5a0962

by Sybil Hoffman

Posted on November 15, 2011 at 5:45 PM

Updated
Wednesday, Nov 16 at 9:01 AM

PHOENIX -- It's a new record for Arizona and no one
is happy about it. Seventy children died in 2010 from severe abuse. But
experts have a plan to fight the disturbing trend.

They are the littlest ones among us, too small to stand up for
themselves and last year dozens were silenced by the very people who
were supposed to protect them.

"The severity of physical child abuse is getting worse," said Robert Bell, the justice coordinator with Child Help. "To see the third straight year of a rise of deaths related to child maltreatment, child abuse, we're certainly alarmed."

The numbers don't lie. According to the Arizona Child Fatality Review
Team's latest report, of the 70 children who died from maltreatment last
year, Child Protective Services only knew about 18 of them and had
launched investigations into five more. That means, 57 Arizona children
were being abused and nobody knew it.

Unfortunately this year, we're seeing much of the same. No one knew 3-year-old Dani Mayo was repeatedly beaten by her stepfather until she died.

Corey Daniels reportedly punched little Dani in the chest with his closed fist for not eating a hot dog.

"The families were never reported to any agency -- CPS or law
enforcement," Bell said. "So we can make it a priority to investigate
this and take it seriously. If the crimes are not reported to us, it
makes it very difficult to make a difference."

Another frustration is those who don't do anything. Who can forget 10-year-old Ame Deal? Her little body was discovered stuffed in a footlocker this summer.

"There are cases here in Phoenix where people realize that a child
has been abused and haven't made reports on it and it's cost the child
their lives.," Bell said.

"We're missing something; we're not doing something right," said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.

That's why Montgomery is heading up the first-of-its-kind Arizona's Child Safety Task Force.

"We finally have people in place who are committed to bringing about
serious reform to helping Arizona's children when they need it most,"
Montgomery said.

Bell is hopeful the Child Safety Task Force will turn the trend around.

"The reality is that children are our business whether you're in the
actual business of protecting children or not. Children don't have the
emotional or psychological voice most times to stand up and tell their
abuser, 'You can't do this to me.'"

Part of the review process for the task force involves holding two
public meetings. The first one is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 9
a.m. at 1700 W. Washington Street in the Executive Tower’s second-floor
conference room.
twinkletoes
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