I have had a rocky week ~ we have friends who took in a child over two years ago into their medically fragile foster home ~~~ he just got taken Friday to California to live with his bio father again. I'm scared to think that he might be exposed to the (horrible) abuse and neglect again.
The State of Oregon is so STUCK on beefing up their numbers pertaining to reunification and/or family placements and some of the cases are at the expense of the CHILD. The children are supposed to be the focus. A CASA is someone connected to the child that represents the child and ONLY the child. They have no interest in the rights of the parents (that's why they have legal representation) and they keep the courts focused on the REAL issues and who is at the core of those issues... the child.
After seeing this happen this weekend and having lived through our own placement nightmare of baby Onica, I am resolved to become a CASA once my kiddos are older. I really feel like this is what I am meant to do, make sure these kids get a fair chance at a real life whether that is with bio parents or adoptive parents. We had a CASA ~ Maggie ~ for the Tank. She was SENT STRAIGHT FROM HEAVEN! She could get people to call us back and get face time with the juvenile judge. She always came to see him and make sure his case was moving (cuz prior to her it was going no where!). She brought pics of the Tank to court and when she felt the focus was leaning too heavy on the rights of his parents ~ she asked to be heard and pulled out his pics and just stated that she felt we needed to remember what/who the hearing was about/for. She rocked!!!! She took her responsibilities as a CASA to heart and she really showed love and concern for our Tank. She is a shining example to me of what a CASA can be and is to a child's case.
We love Maggie~~~
CASA reps are volunteers ~ they do it because they love the kids.
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