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Case Studies
How do you summarize the success of a program? Is it in the thousands of hours that volunteers donate in the service of helping meet the needs of children? Is it in the extra miles that volunteers and staff go in order to make certain that a child is not only remembered, but is in the forefront of the descion-making of adults, to whose care they have been entrusted?
At Friends of Children, we want to make a difference in every child's life that is in need. Here are just a few of those stories.
The Children We Serve
Sandy looked like your average twelve-year-old girl in the neighborhood…but something was missing. She never smiled, never played with other children on the street, did poorly in school and never said much. At twelve, her life felt hopeless.
When Friends of Children assigned a CASA volunteer to her case, Sandy had already been molested by two of her mother’s boyfriends, placed in five different foster homes, three different school systems and one psychiatric hospital. Her life was one big tug of war between social workers, foster parents and her mother. Sandy trusted no one.
Sandy’s CASA volunteer was trained to know how to advocate for this child’s best interests. What kind of therapeutic support would help her heal? What kind of family contact would be appropriate? Where would be the safest, most supportive place for her to live?
Her CASA volunteer really turned things around for this child. When they first met, the CASA told Sandy: “I’m committing to you that I will be your advocate until you are out of the system.” For a year, the CASA has been there for Sandy every step of the way, and Sandy’s trust in adults has grown considerably.
Sandy is now living in a group home where she receives counseling and other services. She attends a local middle school, where she is doing well. CASA is currently evaluating whether it will be safe for Sandy to return home within the next six months or if a different permanent placement will be needed.
But rest assured, until that permanency is achieved, the CASA will be there for Sandy…every step of the way!
Gabe and Charity
When Friends of Children and CASA received this case, the goal for the two young children was to reunify them with their mother and her partner. The children were part of a family in which each of four generations were victims and/or perpetrators of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. No sooner would the children start to stabilize in foster care then they would be returned to their mother’s home, where they quickly deteriorated. Thus began a cycle of multiple temporary placements over the course of several years. With each placement, the children suffered immeasurably.
Until CASA began its investigation, the plan for the children was to return home. Again! However, after spending hours scrutinizing records and interviewing all parties, the CASA volunteer concluded that the children should never return to the care of the family. With great eloquence, the CASA was able to clearly convey to the judge that the best interests of the children were not served by a roller coaster of placements, and that the family had not demonstrated an iota of ability to change in over four years. Not one other person involved in this case ever put all the pieces together on behalf of the kids. At long last, the children will not have to return to a life of risk, but are being adopted by a family of four.
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