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The last time Sarah* saw her five year old son, Michael, child protection services was removing him from her hotel room. At that time, Sarah was under the influence of substances that numbed her senses. That day was a blur. A horrible blur. The cries of her child. The police officers observing. The case manager filling a trash bag of Michael's clothing. She saw it happening, but she felt she was watching from somewhere else. Today is the first time Sarah will see Michael in months. She is excited but nervous to see him. Will he be angry at her? Will he be sad? She arrives at the Bright House with ingredients to bake a cake and hope in her heart. She is sober today. Thanks to the help of Recovery Place, she hasn't used in 6 weeks. She is committed to making a change. She doesn't want to use substances to treat her past trauma anymore. Bright House staff greet Sarah with a smile. It sets her at ease. They sit down and talk to her about what she is feeling. She hesitantly shares a little bit. She doesn't know the staff well yet, but they seem kind and helpful. Together, they plan what she will do with Michael when he arrives. A minute later, there is a knock at the door. Then Michael comes bursting through it. He runs up to Sarah and wraps his arms around her. Sarah's eyes well up with tears. It's been a long time since she has held her son. Even when he lived with her, she was so numb she didn't get to fill this fully. The Bright House staff retreats to their office, where they will supervise the visitation by the video feed. Sarah and Michael explore the living room, dining room, and kitchen tentatively. Michael is excited to pull out toys and play with them. She asks him if he wants to bake a cake with her. He excitedly agrees. They bake a cake together, laughing and getting more and more comfortable. While the cake is baking, they go outside to kick a ball around in the backyard. The two-hour visit goes quicker than they wanted, and soon the transporter arrives to take Michael back to his foster home. Michael's eyes fill with tears as he is again separated from his mom. Sarah promises him that they will visit again next week. She knows she hasn't always kept her promises, but things are different now. She knows she must follow through if she wants her son back. After the visitation, the Bright House staff sits down with Sarah to discuss how it went. They give her advice on redirecting Michael without raising her voice or losing patience. They ask her what it is like to parent sober, something she has never done. She acknowledges she feels the highs and lows much more deeply. Staff encourages her to discuss this more with her therapist. They talk about her case plan and other things she needs to complete before getting her child back. Staff provides resources on job placement, low-income housing, and additional support. For the first time in a long time, Sarah feels hope. She doesn't feel alone. She has something to look forward to – not just next week's visit but eventually getting Michael back with her. Sarah is committed to overcoming her substance use disorder and becoming the mother she knows Michael deserves and she is grateful The Bright House is going to help her get there. The Bright House provides court-mandated supervised visitation and family support services in a home-like setting. Learn more here. *Names have been changed to protect privacy. About the Author
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After completing training as a CASA volunteer and several weeks after being sworn in, I received a call for my first assignment. I agreed to become an advocate for an infant girl born addicted to opioids and who had been abandoned at the hospital. I was not aware at the time that the beginning of my advocacy with Amy* would become an almost 3-year journey. Four days before Christmas, she was placed in foster care. Two days before Christmas, I participated in my first adjudication hearing with my CASA coordinator. Amy was placed with a foster family in a nearby community as no potential relatives had been identified for placement. I grew in my role as a CASA along with Amy. As a newborn, Amy was gaining weight, and eating and sleeping well. I visited Amy monthly at her home and her daycare. I got to know and build a rapport with her foster parents, the other siblings in the home, and a community that fell in love with Amy. I attending team meetings, medical appointments, speech therapy, reviewed CCFA reports, attempted to reach her biological parents, talked with maternal relatives, and attending court hearings. Along the way as Amy began to show delays in her developmental milestone’s referrals went out to Babies Can’t Wait. Special instruction and therapy services followed and Amy made significant progress with speech and feeding services. Despite numerous conversations with maternal family members, a kin placement was not able to be located. Amy’s foster family had not initially planned to adopt, but they had fell in love with her and she with them. It was a delight to see Amy ‘s eyes light up whenever her foster father entered the room, and her siblings become her protector. I watched Amy grow from an abandoned infant to a beloved child. I entered her daycare class last week for a visit. She broke into a big smile, ran up to me and threw her arms around me for a hug. She then proceeded to tell me all about her new unicorn shirt and that Mama was at home and Daddy at work. A casual observer would never know Amy had a rough start in life. Now she is a typical 2 ½ year old that is about to be adopted by the only family she has ever known. And I’m the lucky CASA volunteer that got to be a part of this story which has been worth the almost 3-year journey. *Name has been changed to protect child’s privacy.
 From June 9-13th, CASA programs across the country gathered in St. Louis to learn, grow, and strategize together. I was one of the lucky volunteers to win the chance to be a part of this great networking conference. From the informative workshops, phenomenal speakers, St. Louis offered an ambiance that was unique in its own.The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch. Yes, the beautiful Arch was right out front of my hotel window. Out of the many amazing workshops I attended, the “Applying a Mindset-Shifting Framework to a Child Welfare Case” stood out to me the most.In this workshop, Dr. Jessica Pryce introduced us to the “Vignette” case. A real and active child welfare case where after many trials, tribulations, and a long fight, a mother lost her rights to her child. She didn’t lose her rights because she neglected or abused her child, but because the child welfare system needs reconstruction and redesigned to better work with parents and not against them. It was an overwhelming feeling hearing the details of this case and to have so many other attendees sharing similar thoughts and feelings. This conference showed me that there are so many people across the country that share my same drive to make a difference to change the system. One of the phenomenal speakers I spoke of earlier was David McIntosh. Mr. McIntosh spoke about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, “DEI”. The great storyteller shared his own experience from his childhood to how it applies to today’s current events. My group ran into Mr. McIntosh later that day on a boat cruise where he shared more experiences and stories!  At the conclusion of the workshops, my group was able to add in fun activities and become tourists of St. Louis. We took a tram ride to the top of the Arch, attended the Central West End Cocktail Party, joined national CASA at the Cardinal’s baseball game after the Walk Run Thrive event, dined at so many delicious restaurants, zipped through St. Louis’ neighborhoods on scooters, went sight-seeing at the St. Louis Zoo, I even caught my first firefly, and so much more! I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to attend my first conference with CASA. The knowledge I gained will be applied to my current and future cases. The fight isn’t over!
The Foster Care System My experience in care was not a breeze. I had a very hard time in care. My case workers were not engaging like how they were supposed to. They put me on all types of body harming medications and forced me to take them. They stuck me in placements and didn't contact me for months. My CASA The Court assigned me a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) worker and that was the best thing that could have happened for me. I gave her a hard time at first, but she broke me. I love her for not giving up on me. I'm now out of care and my CASA isn't my CASA exactly, but she is still like my CASA. She is helping me learn how to drive and helping me get my driver's license. She still keeps in contact with me as well as helping me become the best adult I can be. About the Author:
Think you can’t make a difference? By donating to Brightside Advocacy, you are providing resources that make a significant impact on the futures of children and families in our community. But did you know that not only is your donation making a difference in our community, it is making a difference on your well-being! Giving is Good for Your Health: Giving has positive effects on your mental and physical health. Research shows that when you give, your brain releases endorphins that make you feel happy, reduces stress, and improves your overall sense of well-being. Recurring giving is also linked to a decrease in depression and other mental health issues. Doing good actually does make you feel good. You Walk the Walk: If you believe in a cause, donating to support it is a way to align your actions with your values. Whether it's a cause related to social justice, the environment, or healthcare, your donation shows that you are committed to making a difference in the world. You walk the walk, talk the talk, and provide yourself with a sense of accomplishment by making a gift. Your Donation Can Inspire Others: By donating to a cause you care about, you are setting an example for others to follow. Your friends, family, and colleagues may be inspired to donate as well, creating a ripple effect that can lead to even greater impact. Give your gift, inspire others, and watch the difference YOU make first hand. No matter how big or small, your donation can and does positively impact the sustainability of our programs. A gift of $25 can help recruit a new CASA volunteer. A gift of $500 trains one CASA volunteer. Every dollar counts. What better way to help yourself than by helping others! Make a difference today:
There is a poster hanging on the wall of the juvenile courthouse that I often find myself staring at between hearings. It bears an image of a little girl with tangled curls and a toothless grin. Underneath her are scrawled the words “I am not a troublemaker.” When I first began my work as a court appointed special advocate, I didn’t understand the importance of this simple message. It is now my creed. When time, stability, and mental health care are luxuries, it is difficult to peel back the layers of trauma or neglect that influence a child’s “troublemaking” or undesirable behaviors. Yet that is all most of these behaviors are: responses to trauma, the result of unmet needs. This is why CASA is so important. As a volunteer, it is your duty to discern a child’s true story and advocate fearlessly for all their needs not only in the courtroom but in the classroom, doctor’s office, and foster home. You have the special privilege of getting to know a child fully and helping the rest of those working in the child welfare system to do the same. You can give a child a voice when they otherwise might have none. If I have learned anything over the last few years, it is that there is never a boring day in the world of child welfare. Abuse, neglect, drugs, runaways, good that looks evil, evil that looks good. I’ve seen enough to know I’ve still seen nothing. Children in foster care possess a resilience that most outsiders can’t begin to fathom. Unfortunately, for many of these children, their trauma doesn’t end when they are removed from an unhealthy home and brought into the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services (DFCS). In America, the child welfare system is a chaotic cycle of burnout and scarcity in which foster children’s needs often go unmet. 1. Social workers are routinely overburdened and underpaid. The Georgia Welfare Council reports a persistent increase in the turnover rate of social workers due to burnout alone. Attracting quality legal representation to the field of child welfare is difficult for similar reasons. 2. It is nearly impossible to find mental health care professionals willing to accept foster children’s complex cases. More than 50% of counties in America “lack a single psychiatrist”. Existent practices often do not accept the subpar insurance allotted to children in the system. 3. And finally, there are never enough foster homes to meet demand. The State of Georgia recently came under fire for its practice of hoteling children for whom no foster family, group home, or psychiatric facility could be located in time. Given the stress inherent to the child welfare system, it is easy to see how a child’s needs might slip through the cracks unintentionally. Their complex set of experiences and emotions must be distilled into line items on paperwork that can be disseminated quickly to the morass of professionals responsible for their wellbeing. Casefiles are often littered with labels like “manipulative”, “angry”, “defiant”, or “messy”. Children are branded by their worst moments and given little chance to provide context. These labels will often haunt them for the duration of their time in foster care. Stories written by former foster children reverberate with examples of this phenomena and the long term damage it wreaks. In my own experience, these mis-labelings can be both heartbreaking and dangerous. A child with whom I worked had been branded as a thief or “kleptomaniac” after he repeatedly took items from the cafeteria of the group home. Something about the report did not sit right with me. There was no history of stealing in his casefile. Some research and phone calls revealed that there was, in fact, far more to his story. The child had been suspected of having diabetes but was not receiving any medication. He’d been transferred into DFCS custody before he was able to see an endocrinologist to confirm his diagnosis. He was stealing juice to stymie drops in blood sugar that were resulting in diabetic attacks during the hours in which the cafeteria was closed and no food was available. I still wonder what would have happened if I had not read between the lines of his case file and picked up the phone. How long can diabetes go untreated without serious consequences? How many foster homes would have rejected him out of fear that he would steal their food or possessions as well? His story is one of many. No matter how hefty the case file, no matter how ominous the labels, if you look closely, no child is ever just a troublemaker. CASAs are in a unique position to set the record straight.
Initially, I did not seek out Savannah Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). In a stroke of luck, CASA came to my email inbox. I started receiving the monthly Savannah CASA newsletter in 2020. I am sure I somehow signed up via community engagement on social media, but I had no idea what it was when I started receiving the newsletters. Having experienced living in a shelter for a brief period as a teenager, the program immediately spoke to me. I would read the monthly newsletters for over a year and toy with the idea of becoming a CASA volunteer. One night in the Fall of 2021, I researched the process and filled out the application. There was a class to start at the beginning of 2022, but it was unfortunately full. I carried on and hoped to hear something in the future. That moment came in the Spring of 2022; the training was a bit more intense than I had anticipated and the role of a CASA was a lot more than I had imagined, but with every session I would feel with more certainty that this was the perfect role for me. Advocacy has always come natural to me; I have been doing it long before I even knew what the word advocate meant. There is a sense of duty that comes with advocating, especially when doing so for those that cannot advocate for themselves. I understand the frustration of being powerless, of not being listened to, and not having a voice to change something for the better. Due to that empathy, I strive to connect, observe, and listen to the children on my case so that I may be the best advocate for them while they navigate through this traumatic journey of being in the foster care system. I was assigned my case a few days after swear-in, it was two brothers, 13 and 6 years old. They had a 12-year-old sister who was living with fictive kin and not assigned to me initially. Since I have been their CASA, they have been placed in three different foster homes and I have also become the CASA to their sister who is now in DFCS custody. I have been blessed with a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) that is also assigned to all three children and together we have created a very strong bond with the children and have advocated for them fiercely. Together, we have had to make some tough recommendations often conflicting with those of Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) case workers and foster placement agencies. I have faced several challenges in overcoming communication barriers with resource personnel and foster parents. I saw firsthand the importance of being a CASA. It is our role to speak up to the court and let them hear the children’s concerns. Had the children not had a CASA and GAL to listen to them and report the things they were experiencing at their foster placements, they likely would not have been removed and placed in a safer, more caring placement that met their needs. Being a CASA volunteer honestly has been a lot more than I anticipated. I am heavily involved and invested in my kids, I want them to know they are not alone, and they have someone in their corner always. All the time and efforts spent are rewarding, because I see my actions are making a difference and helping the children that I have become so close with. I know they will likely be in care for some time, but I will keep working towards reunification and encouraging those involved with the case to ensure the children’s best interests are being served, and when they’re not, I’ll be there to advocate for them.
The Background 11 year old Flora is placed with a fictive kin resource, “aunt” Vanessa. Her mother Diane has been working hard to secure appropriate housing and complete parenting classes. Her CASA is Kathleen. The Report 2/1: 0.5 Hours Kathleen talks to Flora every other week on the phone. This week, Flora tells Kathleen about her dance lessons and her upcoming recital. She also has an upcoming dentist appointment that she is nervous about. 2/4: 1 Hour Kathleen spends some time at home updating CASA’s Optima database with her calls with Flora as well as the emails between CASA, DFCS case manager and Flora’s attorney. She also makes a note to follow up about the dental appointment and other medical appointments for the upcoming court hearing at the end of the month. 2/6: 2 Hours Kathleen visits Flora in the home with her “aunt” Vanessa, the fictive kin resource. They made beaded bracelets together, talked about how school was going, and how much she was enjoying her dance lessons. Everyone decided to go outside and sit on the front porch. Flora practiced cartwheels in the yard while Kathleen spoke with Vanessa about how everything was going and if she felt they needed anything. Vanessa felt that Flora was really struggling in math and could possibly benefit from a tutor. 2/11: 0.2 Hours Kathleen calls the school and speaks with the counselor and a few of Flora’s teachers. She is still doing well, but as Vanessa had suggested, Flora could use some tutoring in Math. Kathleen contacts the DFCS worker to inquire about a tutoring referral and to share notes from the home visit and the conversation with the counselor and teachers. Kathleen also inquires about when the overnight visits with Diane, Flora’s mom will begin. 2/16: 0.5 Hours Kathleen documents her efforts this month and makes a note to follow up with DFCS about the tutoring in the next week if it is not put in place. She also calls Diane to schedule a good time to come by her home. 2/19: 0.5 Hours Kathleen has her bimonthly call with Flora who just returned from dance lessons. She was really excited to share the news that there will be a recital soon. Flora also told Kathleen that she started tutoring yesterday and that her visit with her mom was great. She brought cupcakes and they colored together. 2/20: 1 Hour Kathleen visited Diane, Flora’s mother, at her home to see how things were going . They talked about Flora’s tutoring and the upcoming court hearing. Diane is doing really well at work and is continuing to attend her classes that are required per her DFCS case plan. They talk about the upcoming overnight visits and it's clear that Diane is happy to have more time with Flora. She has her room all set up for her with a new bedding set that Flora chose. 2/21: 2 Hours Kathleen updates her notes with news about Flora and the calls and visits she has made in the last few weeks. 2/22: 1 Hour Kathleen and her CASA Coordinator work on the court report for the upcoming review hearing. 2/23: 1 Hour Kathleen follows up with Flora’s school to make sure that tutoring is consistent. Kathleen also speaks with Vanessa while Flora is at a friend's house, to see how the overnight visit with her mother went. 2/26: 2 Hours Kathleen finishes her court report with the last details about tutoring services and also calls Vanessa to set a time to come by when Flora is there. 2/28: 2.5 Hour Court was running behind, but that gave Flora, Kathleen and Vanessa extra time to be together. Kathleen brought snacks and a book that Flora was excited to read. Kathleen asked Flora if there was anything she wanted to share with the Judge or if she wanted to speak to them in chambers. Flora said that she did and wanted to make sure they knew how much she wanted to return home and that she is going to be in a recital. After the hearing, Kathleen and Diane scheduled their next visit while Flora would be home, since the Judge ordered weekend visits. The Impact Although the life of a CASA volunteer can be somewhat unpredictable, depending on the case, it is certain that their impact in the life of a child is priceless. Their voice in a courtroom and their words to a judge could be life-changing for a child experiencing foster care. We are so grateful for all the Savannah CASA volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts for the best interest of the children that we serve. To learn more about becoming a CASA Volunteer, click here: Change a Child's Story! About the Author
Sarah entered foster care when she was 16 years old. She has a long history of people abandoning her throughout her life. The trauma she has endured from this abandonment has caused her to feel a lot of mistrust in the people around her and feeling alone in this big system we call foster care. Sarah was not perfect while in foster care, what teenager is? She was moved from placement to placement when she would act out or runaway (one time) and no one gave her a chance…. Except the CASA. Sarah’s CASA, has been by Sarah’s side since the beginning of the revolving doors of case managers, attorneys, and placements. I firmly believe without the persistence and support from the CASA, we would have lost Sarah even more to the negative outcomes of children in foster care. Sarah was not doing well in school due to her numerous placement changes but was determined to get her GED so that she can go to college one day. She has big dreams to be successful. But, there was a lot of problems with that process. Sarah, at this time was living in a hotel because placement could not be located for her and the CASA had to step in to find financial resources for her to take her GED because the steps for the State to pay for this would take weeks and those weeks would turn into more discouragement for Sarah with a system that has already not followed through on promises before. The CASA was able to get GED testing paid for. Within a week, Sarah had her GED! She passed with high scores all on her first try. We were over the moon excited for her! As time was getting closer and closer to Sarah turning 18, we knew the clock was ticking fast to help encourage her to stay in foster care to receive all the benefits that come with that. The CASA helped schedule a tour of a local Transitional Living Placement so Sarah could see first hand what it looked like and what all was offered to help her into adulthood. This motivated Sarah to want to stay in care but she was also adamant that if she was not in a transitional living placement as promised by the time she turned 18, she would be signing out. Again, this is coming from a youth who is already so frustrated with being told mistruths and things not happening as explained, she was giving one more chance to not be let down. In order to be approved for independent living for youth over 18, there has to be approval from the State representatives for this to occur. Sarah was assessed and denied for transitional housing a couple days after she turned 18. This upset Sarah and she immediately wanted to sign out of foster care and just leave the state completely. The reasoning behind Sarah being denied were not fair in the eyes of Sarah and does not reflect supporting our older youth aging out of care, but stifling them more into the horrible statistics that we have for our youth turning 18 that include homelessness and incarceration. We have a motivated youth that has plans for her future and is motivated to do well but needs support. The support of her “parent” (The State). The reasoning for denial stemmed from past behaviors of not so good coping skills. Coping skills that Sarah has been able to articulate how she has improved and continues to plan to improve going forward in her life. But that was not good enough. The very things that she was denied services for were the same things that the numerous case managers never referred her for services for. Our older youth deserve a chance for a positive outcome with all the resources that a youth not in foster care would have from their parents. Sarah wasn’t given a chance, all of our youth deserve a chance. About the Author
In 2012, I was living in Florida and was retired for some time. Looking for something to do, I attended a senior living fair. In my retirement, I volunteered for a variety of organizations: Garden Club, Museum Docent, library assistant, Women’s Auxiliary Club, and a two-year stint with Hospice, to name a few. One day I picked up a Senior Living Magazine when I got home and saw a small advertisement about becoming a guardian ad litem (GAL) — what we call CASA. It was a Friday afternoon, but I decided to call them and learn more about what it takes to be a volunteer. By Monday morning, I was sitting in a training class. The instruction was demanding. The subjects touched on a wide range of knowledge and requirements. Not everyone stayed. Each session, the class got smaller and smaller, but those who did stay became very dedicated GAL/CASA volunteers by the time the judge swore us in. I realized that I had “found my calling.” Unlike many volunteer organizations, as a CASA, I felt I had a direct involvement and impact on the mission—THE CHILD. The work is rewarding, and the organization made me feel like a professional, although we were unpaid volunteers. In my experience, being a CASA allowed me to draw on my formal education and skills that I had honed in my former career. In addition, being a part of CASA introduced me to new friends and colleagues that have impacted my life. After all, we all worked together for the same goal, advocating for children. In early 2014, my husband and I moved to Savannah. As soon as we got all the boxes unpacked and the pictures on the wall, I looked for a CASA program here in Chatham County. There were new faces and some different ways of doing things. Still, the special sense of fulfillment I had initially found in Florida was here in Savannah- a direct impact, use of my education and skills, a sense of professionalism, and camaraderie. I soon found myself a part of an creative organization, always looking to improve, and a real leader in the field of advocacy: Brightside. Unfortunately, due to a health crisis within my family, I have not been an active CASA volunteer for the past few years. Initially, I wanted to return to what I loved being a part of. Unfortunately, I have yet to find myself in a position to begin dedicating so much of my time. However, I have been able to continue to make an impact by volunteering on special projects and have been able to participate in training other CASA volunteers. Most recently, I helped with landscaping at the Bright House. Every hour I can give as a volunteer of any kind is an important donation— a donation of one’s precious time. But let’s face it, it takes money for Brightside Advocacy to expand its programs and innovative ideas to train additional CASAs to advocate for every child and create support programs that directly benefit these children and their families. Thanks to Kate and her dedicated staff at Brightside, there are more ways than ever to make an impact. Over these past few years, as my role as CASA decreased, my role as a donor increased. I miss being a CASA and witnessing firsthand the difference in these children’s lives. But most importantly, my role as a donor still connects me with the original elements that made me feel I had “found my calling” to begin with. If you are looking for a way to make a difference, I encourage you to contact the Brightside team to hear about ways you can help. About the Author
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