If you knew that 10,000 Minnesota’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers provided civic engagement, first person narratives, reporting, institutional transparency and many thousands of advocacy hours for babies, children & youth over the last 40 years in Minnesota’s Child Protective Services would you;
DetailsIf you knew that the vast majority of youth in Juvenile Justice came through Child Protective Services, would you;
DetailsTuesday was Day At the Hill for advocates supporting policies to improve the lives of Minnesota’s abused and neglected children.
Thank you Safe Passage for Children for organizing an effective effort to bring awareness to the people (lawmakers) that can make positive change for at risk children happen.
Without your efforts and the efforts of your volunteers, It is unlikely that lawmakers will come to understand that;
Many of the Governor’s Task Force recommendations may not be implemented or those recommendations will later be abandoned without continued oversite,
Tracking program outcomes is the only way we can know the difference between ineffective and effective and terrific programs,
The level of trauma foster children live with has created a terrible problem in our foster care system as there are fewer and fewer families able to manage the behavioral problems exhibited by this growing population of abused children,
The recent media coverage and added attention to child protection has increased reporting and is overwhelming already overburdened County systems leading to unmanageable caseloads and higher burnout rates among social workers,
A waiting list of 7000 names for subsidized daycare leaves vulnerable children in the care of drunk and drugged uncles,
It is a rewarding experience to advocate for children, I recommend it (at least once a year – it’s only for a few hours – and it can make a real difference in the policies that govern the lives of the most vulnerable among us.
Join Safe Passage For Children Volunteer army and dedicate a few hours a year telling your State Representatives how important children’s issues are to you.
DetailsIt’s easy for people working with abused and neglected children to become cynical when they discover that five and ten year old state ward children are forced onto Prozac like drugs instead of receiving mental health care that would make them whole. It’s painful to be in the moment with a child that has suffered…
DetailsThank You Steve Betchwars for your seventh fun and most terrific year supporting the needs of foster children with your Birdies, Bogies & Bratwurst event.
Everyone had fun, almost everyone won something and everyone did just fine on the course (far as I could tell).
Savory food, great weather and wonderful people (see you again next year).
Details90% of mental health hospital beds that were available in the 1960’s are gone today while our overall population grew over 40% in that time.
When America eliminated mental health hospitals in the 60’s, teachers, juvenile and criminal justice workers and social workers became defacto mental health service providers. This is no small feat. Humans are complex beings and understanding a mind takes extensive effort & training (especially a traumatized or troubled mind). Few service providers get that training.
DetailsThese are the most powerful videos from the Academy on Violence and Abuse www.avahealth.org They go a long way in explaining our nations consistently low graduation rates, terrifically high murder rates, prison populations, chronic illnesses and leading the world in sexually transmitted diseases.
All of these videos are powerful and worth your time.
DetailsThe American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DetailsExcept for suicide, decisions are reversible.
You, like me, can try to do many things in life. We both hope to find things that we love and can be passionate about.
You, like me, will meet many people in our lives with the hope of finding a few good people that can become genuine friends.
Life is not easy, but it can be wonderful at times.
DetailsThis 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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