The Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (CASA) is just one piece of the puzzle in a system designed to provide foster care out of home resources for children that have been abused and neglected by their parents.
There are more than 80 CASA volunteers giving their time to speak for abused and neglected children in Yavapai County and more are needed. For some of these children, the CASA Volunteer is the only stable, caring adult they know. Unfortunately, many children are in foster care because of their parents’ addiction to alcohol or drugs, or criminal activity. These children have been deprived of emotional and physical support required for a good upbringing.
Every possible support is provided to these families in an attempt to reunify them and send the children back home (a safe and appropriate home). When they cannot go home, other permanent outcomes are explored such as guardianship and/or adoption by a relative or non-relative family. As you might imagine this process can take a considerable amount of time while trying to help parents move into sobriety and then learn to be a loving, supportive, and forever sober parent. During this time the child’s life moves forward and they are given supportive care and consistency as well as counseling services to help heal their trauma and educational and other services that they need.
This is such a worthy story to share and my hope is that you will consider covering it in your paper.
An Upcoming Event…..
Each year the CASA Program and the Superior Court host two “Adoption Day” celebrations. The fall event, which is nationally recognized, will be held Saturday, November 23rd at 10:00 a.m. at the Juvenile Justice Center building at 1100 Prescott Lakes Parkway. “National Adoption Day” is open to the public and is a fun filled day set in a carnival type atmosphere where multiple children will officially receive their “forever families” through a Superior Court adoption proceeding. Judges, Court staff, volunteers, legal professionals, family and extended family members, friends, members of the community, and of course children gather under one roof for a day of celebration, sharing, and a lot of tears.
For the children who cannot go back home to their biological parents, this is by far the most significant event they will experience in their lives. For the families, it is the day they have waited for on the long road through foster care. For the CASA Program, it is one of the best things we get to do and for CASA volunteers it is the culmination of their hard work and dedication to finding permanency for these children who, through no fault of their own, found their lives turned upside down.
Additional information is available through email tsauer@courts.az.gov or by calling (928) 771-3165
The Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (CASA) is just one piece of the puzzle in a system designed to provide foster care out of home resources for children that have been abused and neglected by their parents.
There are more than 80 CASA volunteers giving their time to speak for abused and neglected children in Yavapai County and more are needed. For some of these children, the CASA Volunteer is the only stable, caring adult they know. Unfortunately, many children are in foster care because of their parents’ addiction to alcohol or drugs, or criminal activity. These children have been deprived of emotional and physical support required for a good upbringing.
Every possible support is provided to these families in an attempt to reunify them and send the children back home (a safe and appropriate home). When they cannot go home, other permanent outcomes are explored such as guardianship and/or adoption by a relative or non-relative family. As you might imagine this process can take a considerable amount of time while trying to help parents move into sobriety and then learn to be a loving, supportive, and forever sober parent. During this time the child’s life moves forward and they are given supportive care and consistency as well as counseling services to help heal their trauma and educational and other services that they need.
This is such a worthy story to share and my hope is that you will consider covering it in your paper.
An Upcoming Event…..
Each year the CASA Program and the Superior Court host two “Adoption Day” celebrations. The fall event, which is nationally recognized, will be held Saturday, November 23rd at 10:00 a.m. at the Juvenile Justice Center building at 1100 Prescott Lakes Parkway. “National Adoption Day” is open to the public and is a fun filled day set in a carnival type atmosphere where multiple children will officially receive their “forever families” through a Superior Court adoption proceeding. Judges, Court staff, volunteers, legal professionals, family and extended family members, friends, members of the community, and of course children gather under one roof for a day of celebration, sharing, and a lot of tears.
For the children who cannot go back home to their biological parents, this is by far the most significant event they will experience in their lives. For the families, it is the day they have waited for on the long road through foster care. For the CASA Program, it is one of the best things we get to do and for CASA volunteers it is the culmination of their hard work and dedication to finding permanency for these children who, through no fault of their own, found their lives turned upside down.
Additional information is available through email tsauer@courts.az.gov or by calling (928) 771-3165
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