Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 33, Number 2 by Carrie-Leigh Cloutier Chaves County CASA, based in southeastern New Mexico, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving children and youth who have been abused, neglected, trafficked, or are at risk. An umbrella agency for 28 programs in rural New Mexico, Chaves County CASA serves thousands of people
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 33, Number 2 by Jorge Velázquez Jr., DBA Frontline child welfare and child protective service (CWS) supervisors and managers are recognized as the links between organizational leadership; the frontline caseworkers (social workers, case managers, etc.); and in many instances the children, youth, and families needing or seeking support (Hess et al., 2009;
Published in Children's Voice, Volume 33, Number 2 by Chloe Baier It’s a Tuesday afternoon in Baltimore City. Kiki, a fifth-grade student at Yorkwood Elementary School in northeast Baltimore, hops on the Bridges bus with a small group of other students from Baltimore City elementary schools to head to The Bryn Mawr School, a
by Shannon Deinhart, Stephanie Beleal, and Cass Freeland Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 33, Number 1 All children have family, and we can find them if we try. All kin have value, regardless of their ability to serve as the primary caregiver of the child. All children deserve to remain connected to their culture, community,
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 32, Number 1 by Julius Mullen, Kiera McGillivray, and Mike McHugh Supervisors are an essential link between direct service and administration and governance, responsible for helping ensure that agencies and organizations fulfill their missions. This link is strongest when supervision reflects a mission-driven model of practice that is culturally and trauma-informed. This
Valuing and Retaining Staff: Being Trauma-Informed and Responsive Can Benefit Both Organizations and their Workforce Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 32, Number 1 By Kathleen McGowan, Alix Rivière, Audrey Smolkin, and Melissa Threadgill The Massachusetts Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma’s (CCWT) mission is to support organizations in becoming more responsive to trauma and in reducing
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 32, Number 1 by the CWLA Emerging Leaders Committee Whether someone is new to the work of child welfare or has been doing it for years, they likely have experienced the recent challenges related to agencies building and maintaining a stable workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation along with efforts
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 32, Number 1 by Elaine Arsenault Special Education Surrogate Parents (SESPs) are volunteers designated to make special education decisions for students in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) or students whose parents are unknown or unable to participate in the special education decision-making process according to state
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 32, Number 1 by Susan Savage Imagine receiving a call in the middle of the night asking you to take in your one-year-old grandson. You are single, 62 years old, make $38,000 annually, and must work tomorrow. What do you say? In the United States, our youngest children are the
Celebrating Families!: Embracing, Empowering, and Guiding Families by Rosemary Tisch When dealing with substance use disorders, traditionally, the focus is on the adult who is using and possibly on their partner. But what services are offered to their children? Children living with an adult dealing with addiction often experience chronic trauma, now recognized as an
