Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) News

Whatever time you have to devote to a child, it’s more than that child has ever had. You don’t need any special skills. It’s all about caring and common sense.
~ Sue and Steve Forestadt,
CASA Volunteers


Each year, approximately 780,000 children in the US are caught up in the court and child welfare maze because they are unable to live safely at home. Imagine what it would be like to lose your parents, not because of something you did, but because they can’t—or won’t—take care of you. Now, into these children’s lives come dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, therapists, social workers, judges, lawyers, and more. Hopefully, one of these strangers is a CASA volunteer



http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301303/k.3DEC/The_CASA_Story__CASA_for_Children.htm

Thank you Tears, I just submitted my info to the Oklahoma County CASA network.

Here's the link for Facebook in case anyone is interested.
https://www.facebook.com/CASAforChildren

Since the enaction of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in
1974, several programs and initiatives have been coordinated by the
Department of Health and Human Services.
One of those implementations was to recognize the month of April as
Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, is the 20th Judicial
District’s group for children in the “child welfare maze,” who are often
alone in the process of prosecuting their parents or guardians and are
unable to live safely at home, their Web site says.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children in
the social service system who have fallen victim to abuse or neglect.
CASA Volunteer Coordinator Eirin Lewis said there are tell-tale signs
associated with abuse and neglect that community members, and
especially professionals who regularly interact with children, may
recognize.
“Any injuries that do not fit the explanation the child gives are
suspect,” Lewis said. “Obvious signs are excessive bruising, repeated
wounds, going to school unkempt, unbathed, in the same clothes over and
over again. Lewis said in cases of neglect or abuse involving older
children, they may attend school under the influence of drugs or
alcohol.
Other signs to watch for, Lewis said, are children who shy away from
adults.
“A child who is overly fearful of adults may have been abused. They
shy away from them, avoid eye contact, avoid conversation with them. If
asked a question by a teacher they would stick to one word answers if
they can get away with it,” Lewis said.
Excessive violence is also a sign, and in terms of sexual abuse,
pregnancy or the presence of sexually transmitted diseases often
indicate abuse.
Lewis said suicide attempts may occur even among very young children.
“Kids can and do want to end their own life if they’ve been in an
abusive home. Sometimes they can’t deal with it anymore, and children
feel a lot of guilt.”
According to Lewis, professionals who come in to contact with
children are mandated to report signs of abuse or neglect.
“Teachers, among a lot of other people are mandated reporters.
Teachers, counselors, school principals, doctors, CASA volunteers,
anyone who interacts on a professional level is a mandated reporter and
obligated by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect,” Lewis
said.
Lewis’s definition of neglect is an intentional disregard by a parent
or guardian for a child’s wellbeing.
“Not feeding them, or taking them to a doctor could be neglect. Not
giving them a bath or making them take a bath. Having inadequate
shelter, being homeless, having an inadequate or dirty living
environment can be neglect,” Lewis said. “In legal terms, when a parent
is arrested on drug charges and there is no one to take that child, that
is considered neglect as well.”
Abuse, she said, can range from hitting a child more than once, to
ending the life of the child. “That’s the way we see it. The small end
of the spectrum is being slapped and the far end is death, and we do
have that,” Lewis said.
Abuse can be physical, with repeated hitting or throwing objects at
the child, or it could be sexual. “Making a child perform sexual acts on
someone else, or performing the sexual act with them is another form of
child abuse,” Lewis said.
Abuse may also exist as an emotional mistreatment, such as “telling a
child they are worthless,” Lewis said. “Constantly screaming at a child
as well.”
Community members who feel they have witnessed an instance of abuse
or neglect may call the anonymous Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline at
510-482-5964.
The hotline receives as much as 2,000 reports of abuse or neglect a
year, according to Lewis, but not all cases lead to foster care or
charges due to the misreading of signs or the misuse of the hotline.
“The hotline is completely anonymous. They ask for your name but you
do not have to give it. It is illegal if anyone knows who called to
report,” Lewis said. “It is illegal to disclose who that person is.”
Lewis said no one involved in the child’s case will know the identity of
the person who reported.
“DHS can’t know, the judge can’t know, attorneys will not know, and
CASA can’t know. And if we happen to know, we can’t tell anyone because
of the law,” said Lewis.
Lewis asks that readers remember that neglect and abuse know no
partiality to race or socioeconomic status. “It is our next door
neighbor, it is your child’s best friend. It is in your neighborhood, in
your schools, in your play groups. Ignoring it because we don’t like
that we aren’t taking care of our children does not make it go away.
Action makes it go away.”