It is sad but true that sometimes children must be removed from their homes because they are in danger from abuse, both physical and sexual or neglect or a combination of those issues.
When that happens, they must go somewhere. The first choice always is into the custody of a family member, but sometimes no one is available or deemed suitable to take them in. In that case, they go to the State of Texas as managing conservator and into the foster care system.
If the rights of the parents have been terminated, the child is eligible to be adopted; if not, they may remain in the foster care system until they age out at 18. Babies have the best chance of adoption, but those who are considered special needs - sibling groups, older children and those with physical or mental issues - may languish in a foster home or a succession of foster homes.
"These kids all deserve to be living in a permanent home and not moving from place to place," says Kara Stephens, a staff member at CASA of Tarrant County. CASA stands for Court-Appointed Special Advocates and is made up of volunteers and staff members whose sole purpose is to represent the interest of children in the system.
Stephens oversees an ambitious project established by a federal Adoption Opportunities Diligent Recruitment Grant that teams the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and CASA.
The grant promotes finding adoptive homes if possible, or willing family members or permanent foster homes for children for whom DFPS has permanent managing conservatorship with or without termination of parental rights.
Part of the concept is that even though there was no family member available when the child was first removed, circumstances may have changed. The program also recognizes that when a child ages out, he or she needs some connection in the outside world. Even if placement is not an option, it may still be possible to reconnect the child with family members so they will have a place to turn when they leave the system.
Pat Jolley is a CASA volunteer whose primary job is to cull through the case files - sometimes 10,000 pages of information - trying to identify family members who can be reconnected with the children or who are now willing to take them in.
"We have found great-aunts; we have found siblings who weren't aware of what was going on years ago, maybe never notified, because they were 19 years old when that child was removed," Stephens said. "The state's not going to go looking for a 19-year-old to take him." But a few years later, that may be a possibility.
"CPS people are very busy. They have heavy caseloads. Finding out all of the details can be extremely time consuming," said Jolley. "I see that as my job. I can dig down and find the details and report the details back." That information is forwarded to the state and the lawyer who represents the child in court.
Giving children some sense of permanency in their lives is important. "The statistics are high for these children to be homeless or incarcerated," said Stephens. "With this grant, it's building the kids connections and permanency to help … not put them in that position."
Beyond the federal grant, there is a pressing need for CASA volunteers in North Texas. "People need to understand the mission of CASA," said Teddi Wiggins, the outreach and recruitment specialist at CASA. "Currently we have 371 beautiful foster children on a wait list who desperately need a CASA volunteer who will fight for them in court."
The agency served 800 children in 483 cases in 2013 - there were multiple children involved in some of those cases - with a record number of 351 advocates, said Natalie Stalmach, the development director. The number of removals in Tarrant County increased from 2012 to 2013, and she expects it to increase this year as well. She figures it would take 500 or 600 volunteers to handle all the needs in the county.
There's a special need for men. The volunteer force currently is 80 percent female. "There are a lot of youths who need strong male role models," Stephens said. Volunteers undergo training for their work and should expect to devote around 10 hours a month to their duties.
"Sometime, the CASA [volunteer] is the only consistent person they have in their lives. I think that's sad," said Jolley.| by Paul K. Harral |
