The amount of research on psychotropic medication and the prevalence of those prescribed to children in foster care has increased tremendously over the past few years. The rate of utilization of psychotropic medication in the foster care population has been estimated to range from 13% to 52%, compared to 4% in the general youth population. Continue reading
Stone Mountain Judicial Courtroom
As a volunteer, do you understand what is supposed to happen at different types of hearings? Do you know what to do or what your role is? No need to worry! We’ve got you covered here… Continue reading
CASA Volunteers are, like Attorneys and GALs, officers of the court. A judge appointed a special advocate to represent the best interests of abused and/or neglected children in court proceedings.
CASA Volunteers gather information for the court. She or he recommends to the judge what the child needs to be safe and what it is in the child’s best interest for a permanent home. A CASA Volunteer advocates for a speedy decision that considers a child’s sense of time.
The DeKalb County CASA staff had the wonderful opportunity to participate in DeKalb’s Education Summit last week. It was a great event and we learned so much about Georgia’s AND, in particular, DeKalb’s education system and how foster children are affected. We also learned about ways we can improve foster children’s educational outcomes. Continue reading
A little booklet was shipped to our office today. On the front cover, “11 Ways for Parents to Manage Stress.”
A few ways that we can help to alleviate the amount of stress we endure each and every day. Continue reading
As CASA Volunteers, it is important that you are aware of the risks children may face when exposed to Domestic Violence (DV). Also, in the United States, exposure to DV is included in our definition of child maltreatment.
It is proven that risks to adult partners also pose risks to children. Continue reading
An interesting article: Advice From Children Who Have Experiences in the Foster Care Setting.
They spoke about ways to assist service delivery during the transition into foster care. These children discussed the importance of tending to experiences such as foster home expectations, the importance of time and information, the new foster/parent-child relationship, coping with stress, the ability to be engaged in decision-making, and the need to build a trusting and personal relationship between children in care and their care givers.
Why, you might ask, has the DeKalb County CASA Program decided to start blogging? Well, it’s simple. We wanted to provide an arena for our volunteers, supporters, sponsors, funders, and others who are interested in what we do (advocating for children) to comment, share, and talk about resources available for children in foster care. Or resources for our volunteers. Whatever the case may be, this is the place to talk. Continue reading
The first CASA program began in Seattle, Washington in 1977 as the idea of Judge David Soukup. This one program initiated a movement, which has since grown to include over 900 programs in all 50 states across the nation.
The DeKalb County CASA Program began in 1990. Founded by a Child Advocate Attorney, it operated as a part-time program directly under the supervision of the Child Advocate Office for nearly 7 years. It was at first staffed by MSW interns as their practicum site. In 1997, with the approval of a grant from National CASA, the program became full time.
The mission of the DeKalb County CASA Program is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are under the protection of the juvenile court, seeking to assure safe, permanent families for them as quickly as possible.
CASA accomplishes this mission by training and supporting citizen volunteers who serve as advocates for individual children while maintaining proper ethical behavior, respect, and confidentiality.
If you are interested in becoming a CASA volunteer, feel free to contact our office at 404-378-0038. Or email us at dekalbcasa@dekalbcasa.org.
#advocate #volunteer #oncevoiceonechild
