Friday, April 24, 2009

CASA Training Money Removed From Budget...Any Volunteers To Train Them?

I am not sure yet how this will effect the CASA program.

But, in the Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTEDs) operating budget, found on page 45 of the agency detail budget, it says:


"5. Suspend CASA Training Funds - Pass-through funding to pay training
costs for court-appointed special advocates is suspended."

The general operating budget will be voted on tomorrow or Sunday.

All Court Appointed Special Advocates should be required to submit a Public Disclosure F-1 Statement just like all the other people working in the courts, the legislature, and city and county governments.

CASAs should all be required to have better background checks. (Do they have "histories" in other counties or states?)

CASAs should NEVER have private associations, of any kind, with the foster-adopt people with whom they work or with the attorneys that the state hires for their aid.

Complaints against CASAs must be easier to file and must be investigated and held in a CASAs record. Not all CASAs are working in the best interest of the child as we saw in the Stuth case. That CASA told the Stuths that the judge had ordered that they not see their grandchild. That was not the truth! That CASA refused to consider all qualified relatives and hid from the judge the fact of an aunt and uncle that had passed an in home study. How bad is that?!!!!

Families should be able to petition for a change of CASA when a CASA is hostile and threatening to the biological family or foster provider.

Most CASA volunteers do a fine job. But, they do need to be trained before entering the system.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe they should all become legit GAL's...some states actually do backround checks on them and hold them accountable.
How can one CASA live in one state, yet still be a member of a bar assoc. in another state? My understanding was that if you are a resident for 60 days, you MUST switch bar assoc. states...

Anonymous said...

The casa involved in the Stuth case also has residence in Cali. Although he uses his Cali. address for the bar assoc. he still resides here. Which in itself is illegal and grounds for disbarment. In Cali. you must update your address and firm you work for every year. This casa is a partner in a law firm still in Cali. But the address listed with the bar assoc. is a firm he has not worked for in almost four years! And yet, he still is an active attorney in Cali. You can find this casa easily by going to: www.newsmakingnews.com. You will be shocked by what you read. And yet he just waltz's up here to our state and becomes a casa with no questions asked! IN FACT he was awarded casa of the month! This is why laws and stricter backround checks need to be made to protect us and our children from scum like this. This casa should be removed from the program and barred from having anything to do where children are involved.

Lovingfitfather said...

Wait a minute we seem to be forgetting one small problem with the CASA program. Court Appointed Special Advocates for "best interest of the child" sounds good to the public right. I think that was originally what was intended when they were legislated into being in the late 1970's.
However along the way they assumed a new connotation to their mission statement; they became Dependency Program CASA and this truly denotes their primary function as Parent Assasions to remove barriers to adoption.
I found this out the hard way because I begged for a CASA for my daughter almost from day one only to be told that they were reserved for high priority cases and mine is low priority IE not ready for parental termination yet.
Only when they have come close to running the clock out on you do they need the services of CASA.
A CASA recommending reunification is as rare as a good caseworker. In my case the CASA was an attorney which meant I faced an AG, (attorney)CASA, and CASA'S attorney. I was not flattered I was terminated. O:-)

Anonymous said...

I had no idea they had money for their training...much less that they were trained. Our experience has NOT been good. Anyone who is able to breath...a little...can qualify to become a CASA. Is their a background check, it it public record? Why not just use GAL's

Lovingfitfather said...

CPS should be divorced from child Welfare. CPS should be married to the Police Department via CSO (Community Service Office.)
CASA should be divorced from Child Welfare and be made truly autonomous.
The Office of Children and Family Ombudsman should also be divorced from child welfare so that they may truly be an independent voice for Children and families.
As a safeguard against conflict of interest they should all be held accountable by a rotating much as juries are citizen revue panel.
The entire monolithic structure is simply too rife with inherent conflicts of interest and cronyism which results in intentional failure to children due to malignant vested interest.

Anonymous said...

Lovingfitfather:
We all know what most CASA's in Washington do...the point I was making is, if a CASA resides in one state,how do the show residency in another state to become a CASA? From what I've seen,in Washington, there are no regualtions,rules nor consequences for them. What I would like to see is some decent,smart,honest CASA's working within the system who are able to do the right thing.(of course,that would rid 75% of them right off the top wouldn't it!) If the state is unable to do that, there should either be more stipulations set upon them pertaining to public disclosure or the ability to speak in court without being a party to the case. At least some of us would have been on record! Judges need to wake up and smell the coffee around there!

Anonymous said...

CASA In Stevens County Washington and many other areas of our state are not accountable for their actions. I tell people that if you talk to CASA you might as well talk to CPS. My own personal experience with CASA was absolutely not in the best interest of the child and when I called the head office to complain the only thing I got back was a smartass remark by the local CASA program manager "well are you happy since you called Seattle" then it went further downhill. CASA is not working in the best interest of the child and they are not being held accountable.

Tammy said...

way off of this subject but did not know how to get a hold of anyone.. Does anyone know of anyone in Missouri that is for familys.. I had children in my home (family member children) they have now been removed, long story and a lot of lies told. I got my name cleared but they said I can not get my foster liscens back that they said i had to have (after already having the kids in my home for 11 mo.) to get the kids back. They are in seprate homes.. I AM SICK.. we want our babies back and the 10 year old.. what can we do? We are in Linn county missouri (Brookfield)

Lovingfitfather said...

I challenge anyone to provide me with one single instance where a CASA recommended reunification. They are 100% adoption quota centered.
Off the subject but equally important my public pretender practices in Washington and California; he has defended well over 7,000 cases and of these only won three. How many children do you think he has sent to die. In my case he agreed with the state about my daughters abuse and neglect in state custody "The doggie is doing it." This doggie is a small Terrier and how my you does a doggie neglect a child?

Anonymous said...

it's better if there's no cash cow to train them because then the strings come with the funding.

Nice to say most do a good job... but how do you know? In education we ask for outcomes and accountability. There is none here.

They are getting their volunteer work onto their resumes with the references signed by.... guess who?

Guess who gets to run CASA - choose one: the kissups or the whistleblowers

I stood up to the CASA trainer (sweetly, once) for passing out false and politicized information and I was prevented from serving.

There are plenty caring people who would rather train CASA than serve as one.

However, when the materials asking for volunteers all state that you are helping "abused and neglected children" then how are they supposed to even know that some are false accusations?

We need to end the gossip police and put the money elsewhere. The "best interests of the child" was criticized by the US Supreme Court as allowing judges to follow their own personal views.

Anonymous said...

I know people in Missouri. Write me at washingtonstateextendedfamilies@live.com and I will get you in touch with them.

strawberryblonde said...

Why don't CASA's pay for their own education?

Lovingfitfather said...

Anyone in the Child Saving Industry who dare tell the truth, put the children first or advocate ethically for a permanency plan of reunification are ostracized and given walking papers.
http://www.youtube.com/user/not4playn

Anonymous said...

I truly believe that this system is going to have to be abolished. Too many people in America have their own agenda. The liklihood and probability that a man and woman who choose to get married and have children can end up in Superior Court Juvenile Court is high. It would seem to me that this then will be discrimination against those couples who choose to have children if it is not already. Couples who choose to have children should not be punished if there are no charges of wrongdoing. Other capable and caring family members can offer assistance without also being attacked and ridiculed.

Anonymous said...

I have nothing but contempt for C.P.S., adopters and anyone who supports them. One thing they all have in common is they are COWARDS. They hide behind the State and little children. They refuse to debate anything, and the opposition never gets heard.
My family has been vicitimized for two generations. I'm not afraid, I've gone out on the street by myself with a sign saying,"adoption is kidnapping". I challenge any of you adopters to stop hiding behind your "children" and come out and debate me. Let's also compare character and intelligence, since my family has been vicitimized for two generations, I must be so "inferior". If you got a child from the State you must be so "superior". I CHALLENGE YOU! Let's meet and debate and let's see what makes you so much better than me. I live in Tacoma, and my name is Catherine Courtney. Stop hiding behind your massive protection (C.P.S., police etc.) and verbally defend yourself.

Anonymous said...

In our family's case, the CASA wasn't even involved for the majority of time except as it pertained to the foster parents. She took an interest in them right away and opposed the parents and extended family. Most of the time, she didn't even show up for court funtions but had this "opinion" of all of us that carried a great deal of weight that was based on everything CPS said. She couldn't have spoken from personal knowledge because she never took the time to know any of us.
CASA is worthless in my opinion, except in rare cases. I don't think that paying good tax payer money to support this organization is a good way to spend in this political climate.

Lovingfitfather said...

Anonymous:
Of course they don't focus on the family as far as any consideration goes parents and family are excluded.
Foster parents are the focus because dependency program CASA and there is no other CASA distinction function only as parent family exterminators so that the child may be adopted. This is the nationwide agenda of CASA. I see by these comments that most parents and family's continue to think that CASA is capable or willing to reunify children with their families. I will reiterate for you, their program is to find the child Dependant and for them to succeed in or do their job means that your child will be found Dependant and as a result your parental rights will unequivocally be terminated. So don't wish for a good CASA but for an inept one!!!

harrykari said...

In our 4 little ones case the GAL/CASA was ordered reordered months later after waiting several months GAL was pre-paid $1500.00 she NEVER met the 4 hurting troubled children. We never got our money back. Attorney quite being an attorney he got another job while saying "the system does not work".

The molesters have more rights in the 4 childrens family. The judge does not care!!!

These 4 children have been failed greatly. Who will be the hero????