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Jan42024

Were Governor Walz State Board Members Misled About Volunteers (and what it could mean)?

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - MN Specific

There is a political battle being waged over the elimination of qualified community volunteers in Child Protective Services. There are too many pieces of this puzzle to include in this article, but one piece must be addressed to determine if wrongdoing has happened in the drive to eliminate the Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers. KARA has sent two requests to Governor Walz Guardian ad Litem State Board members over the past few months requesting a conversation about their role in making this critical decision.

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Dec292023

Child Suicide – What’s Not Said

Aces and Trauma, Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child self harm and suicide, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

Repeated childhood trauma does cruel things to children. Things that never go away. Those things (behaviors/thoughts/self-harm/suicide) can be managed with help. Without help, depression, pain and sadness often become overwhelming. 

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Dec182023

Highlights on Family Assessment and Child Death from Star Tribune Child Abuse Reporting Part I

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Featured Articles, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - MN Specific

These highlights on Family Assessment and Child Death from recent Star Tribune Child Abuse reporting (1, 2, 3) are the tip of the iceberg. Read to the end to get KARA’s historical perspective of how Child Protective Services (CPS) has evolved over the years and its current iteration.

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Dec142023

Thank You & Happy Holidays

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action

Dear Reader,    This year, KARA provided over $10,000 in Financial Literacy enrichment grants to program participants, executed three college and community center INVISIBLE CHILDREN CAMPUS CONVERSATIONS, 23 business and community presentations, and almost finished KARA’s new book AMERICA’S CHILDREN IN 100 CHARTS in 2024. As the year comes to a close, we want to…

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Dec12023

CASA MN Newsletter (Guardian ad Litem News & Updates)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Guest Posts, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - MN Specific

CASA MN Newsletter (Guardian ad Litem News & Updates)

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Nov302023

American Crime Costs & Statistics

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Gun Violence and Control, Juvenile + Criminal Justice

If the medical community,

Children’s Defense Fund

and former MN Supreme Court

Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz

are right,

the vast majority of crime in America

is the result of what happened to that person as a child.

LEARN THE COSTS OF CRIME IN AMERICA TODAY

The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration of

any nation on earth with:

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Nov272023

I Could Never Do What You’re Doing (thank you Laurel Ferris & Women’s Press)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific

This short article by Laurel Ferris in Women’s Press clearly articulates what CASA Guardians do and why children need them.

From the article; 

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Nov242023

Have Governor Walz State Board members been mislead?

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Dear Reader,Allowing the State board to eliminate 10,000 future volunteers (over the next 40 years) at a time when we are reporting on children murdered by their parents may be an unfixable mistake costing even more children their lives.

Rebuttals to the State MAD report from several top child advocates here;

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Nov172023

Child Death, Employee Burnout & Guardian ad Litem Volunteers

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific

The tortured death of 4 year old Eric Dean in 2013 prompted the first in depth reporting on parental child murder I can remember. CASAMN gave the reporter (Brandon Stahl) an award and had him speak at our annual conference.

At that time, several children in my caseload had been almost murdered by their caregivers.

A number of my caseload kids (4,5, and 6 year old children) had suffered years of unspeakable sexual abuse and other violence. Their stories never made the paper.

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Nov142023

Why Community Volunteers Are Needed in CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Rebuttals & Guest Posts, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Eliminating the volunteer nature also changes the role of Guardian ad litem. Being an “outsider” provides a perspective others don’t have. It allows one to challenge the status quo and identify new opportunities. We can speak out. Eliminating volunteers, to my mind, will mean that everyone in the courtroom has a vested interest in a system that pays them to be there.”

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