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CASA CIS: Giving vulnerable children a voice and a chance for a better life

By Dominique McIndoe

Casa, the Spanish word for home, is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates Children’s Intervention Services. The Manassas-based nonprofit has worked since 1994 to empower abused and neglected children of all ages and help them find safe, lasting, loving homes and thrive.

CASA CIS

In our imperfect world, children are among the most likely victims of abuse, neglect, and violence. According to CASA CIS, over 1,700 children are abused or neglected in some way every day in the United States. This is by no means exhaustive given the number of crimes against children that are not reported. There were 33,380 abuse reports in Virginia in 2020 and nearly 5,000 children remained in foster care by the end of the year.

The numbers are alarming, but the encouraging news is that statistics also show that children who experience trauma do better when they have a reliable, stable adult in their life. CASA CIS is trying to close the gap here. They serve children in need in Fauquier, Prince William, Rappahannock, and Warren Counties, as well as in the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

“Every child we care has experienced trauma from a trusted caregiver, and the trauma often continues when they are dragged into a house with strangers, lose contact with family members, and often change schools. It’s heartbreaking. Our passion is to provide every child with an advocate who stands by them and is their voice, ”says Lori Battistoni, Executive Director of CASA CIS since March 2021. “Children who have CASA attorneys are better in many ways. They are far more likely to find a safe, permanent home, and half as likely to be re-accepted into foster care. You get better performance and better performance in school. They are more likely to graduate and be successful adults. “

Since its inception, CASA CIS has helped at least 200 children annually and has helped at least 5,000 children over the past three decades. The elixir of life of the organization is the role of the CASA’s volunteer advocate.

The CASA Volunteer Advocate, a voice for the voiceless

When CASA CIS receives a case from the local courts, they assign a volunteer to each child. This means that the highly qualified volunteer, an independent court attorney, provides the judge with in-depth research and background information on the child – for example from teachers, counselors, educators and therapists – explain the child’s situation and help the court find the best To make a decision about the child’s living situation.

“We begin by examining and speaking to different parties in the child’s life,” says Stephanie Swift, a volunteer attorney who has worked for CASA for well over 16 years, during which time she has helped nearly 30 children. “Our job is to be a really good listener and observer of the child and his life month after month … We want to offer this security and stability.”

The CASA volunteer lawyer does not replace the social worker, the lawyer or the judge, nor does he take on legal representation. They provide vital information that lawyers can use when presenting cases in court. CASA states: “Volunteers do not represent a child’s will in court. Rather, they speak in the best interests of the child. “

CASA volunteers not only provide a voice for vulnerable children, most of whom cannot speak for themselves, but also ensure consistency and continuity for every child they help. They make real connections with the children and their families, staying with the cases as long as possible until the case is resolved or the children are in a permanent, safe home.

Volunteers come from many different backgrounds and undergo rigorous 30-hour training that immerses them in a thorough understanding of legal process, child advocacy techniques, and the intricacies of early childhood development, adolescent behavior, and the circumstances surrounding child sexual abuse.

“The most rewarding part is giving back to the community and being the voice for children, the little people in society, by helping them grow into healthy and fully functional adults in the future,” said Swift.

Being a CASA advocate is not without its challenges, admits Swift.

“It’s hard to see the fight,” says Swift. “It’s frustrating when, for example, you don’t see any progress with the parents or when things are not being corrected with the child. But you never stop encouraging and promoting so that progress can be made. “

Evenings under the stars

CASA CIS, evening under the stars

An earlier evening under the stars

Battistoni gives recognition to the funders of CASA CIS – the support system for federal grants, donors, fundraising, corporate gifts and community donations – without which the operation would no longer exist. Notable community partners include Alliant Wealth Advisors, Bion, Inc., Josie Geiger, Kenneth & Sharree Ryder, Leidos, Ennis Electric, MEP Partners, SERVPRO Industries, ESI, Progeny Systems, the Breeden Foundation, the Neall Family Charitable Trust, and The Giving Circle of Heritage Hunt, among others.

CASA’s annual Evening Under the Stars gala is also a major source of funding for the organization. The 2021 event will take place on September 11th at 6 p.m. at Foxchase Manor in Manassas. This year’s fundraiser is particularly exciting as the 2020 event was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last year has been a fundraising challenge for CASA,” says Battistoni. “Our community partners really made themselves strong at the virtual events. Without them it would have been difficult. “

Future stepping stones

In 2021 and beyond, CASA CIS aims to recruit more volunteers who share common cultures with the children or identify with them in some way. More bilingual and African American advocates could provide better belonging and, therefore, better services to children and their families. However, volunteers of all ethnic and educational backgrounds are welcome. No special or legal background is required.

Preliminary studies show that children assigned to CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and less time in the care system than children without a CASA representative. Judges have also observed that CASA children have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children. Battistoni and Swift have seen for themselves the remarkable changes, positive results, and the glimmer of a better future for children that CASA CIS offers.

“There are children who are very vulnerable and scared and who need a voice – a reliable adult who will protect them and stand up for what they need,” explains Battistoni. “They are in our community, they are places you would not expect … Our goal is to be there for them, to listen to them and to look for their best interests.”

“Anyone can do something to help abused children in the community,” says Swift. “Visit the CASA events, donate, advocate. We could and should take some time to think about how we can take better care of each other. “

To donate to CASA CIS, visit casacis.org. To become a volunteer advocate, contact the organization’s Child Advocacy Associate, JoAnn Poland, at jpolen@casacis.org.

Dominique McIndoe (mcindoe@princewilliamliving.com) is Assistant Production Editor at Rowman & Littlefield and a longtime author.

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News

Democrats Say Abortion Is on the Line in Recall Election. But Rolling Back Rights Wouldn’t Be Easy.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the election to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom approaches, abortion-rights groups are warning that Californians’ right to an abortion is on the ballot.

Newsom, a Democrat, himself tweeted that “abortion access” is at stake.

“There’s no question that if a Republican is elected, access to abortion in California will be restricted,” Jodi Hicks, president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said at a press conference in July.

But this message is strategic and is more about firing up left-leaning voters than it is about policy, said Rob Stutzman, a Republican political strategist.

“There’s no indication from polling in this election that [abortion] is at all what Californians think this election is about,” Stutzman said. “This fits into the type of campaign that they’re running, which isn’t persuasion; it’s motivation to turn out.”

In reality, California has some of the strongest abortion protections in the country and restricting them would be difficult for a replacement governor to accomplish with only a little over a year remaining in the term, opposition from an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature — and the right to abortion enshrined in the state constitution.

Although governors can veto legislation, set budget priorities and make regulations through state agencies, only small-scale change would be possible and would almost exclusively affect women on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid insurance program for low-income people.

“I don’t think abortion is going to be severely restricted in California,” said Laurie Sobel, associate director of women’s health policy for KFF. “It’s more subtle than just slashing laws that are on the books — it’s not being supportive” of progressive new laws.

Restrictions adopted by other states — such as laws that require ultrasounds before abortions or regulations that make it hard to open abortion clinics — likely wouldn’t fly in California without a friendly legislature, Sobel said.

Yet reproductive rights groups have painted Californians’ right to access abortion as threatened by the Sept. 14 recall election. Newsom appeared with Planned Parenthood leaders Wednesday night to say California’s role as an abortion-rights standard-bearer is more important than ever because other states are increasingly restricting access and the U.S. Supreme Court will decide this year whether to uphold the seminal Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationally.

None of the four leading Republican recall candidates responded to calls and emails about their positions on abortion.

Larry Elder, a conservative radio host who is the leading replacement candidate in most polls, has been the most outspoken on the issue. He has called abortion “murder” and Roe v. Wade “one of the worst decisions that the Supreme Court ever handed down.” Businessman John Cox has called himself “pro-life” in previous campaigns, but said he prefers not to talk about social issues, and state Assembly member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) has received endorsements and positive ratings from anti-abortion groups. Former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has said he supports abortion rights.

Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail, though voters will also have in-person voting options. If Newsom is recalled in the Sept. 14 election, his replacement would take office in late October, and would serve the remaining portion of Newsom’s term, until January 2023. A replacement could run for a regular four-year term in the November 2022 election.

State law establishes a woman’s right to an abortion, generally until a fetus could survive on its own. And the state constitution includes a right to privacy that the Supreme Court of California has ruled protects abortion, even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The state Supreme Court has also struck down laws that limit abortion or require parental consent. State law requires every state-regulated health plan, public or private, to cover the procedure.

Still, abortion-rights advocates argue that having a right doesn’t always mean being able to access treatment, and that an anti-abortion governor could find ways to make the procedure less accessible. Experts say there are three primary ways a replacement governor could restrict access:

  • Vetoing bills or budget items (the governor has line-item veto power over the state budget) would be one of the most direct ways. State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) introduced a bill this year to eliminate cost sharing for abortion for Medi-Cal patients, which awaits a committee hearing before heading to the Assembly for a final vote. She said she still would have introduced the measure under an anti-abortion administration, but that it would have been an “uphill battle” on every front.

Democrats, who have a supermajority in both houses of the legislature, could override a governor’s veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers. The last time that happened was in 1980.

Susan Arnall, director of outreach and engagement at the Right to Life League, said an anti-abortion governor could help bring balance to the Capitol by vetoing “anti-life” legislation, even if lawmakers end up overriding the veto. “That at least delays things. It slows the process down, and that’s helpful,” she said.

  • Governors have broad power to change how Medi-Cal, which covers roughly half the abortions in the state, funds abortion. For instance, an anti-abortion governor could work through the Department of Health Care Services to set Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for abortion so low that no doctors could afford to perform the procedure. Or the governor could make the process of getting paid by Medi-Cal so difficult that providers wouldn’t bother. These and other bureaucratic hurdles could add up, making it harder for someone to get an abortion as quickly as they need one, said Fabiola Carrión, the National Health Law Program’s interim director of reproductive and sexual health. “This is particularly a concern with people who live in central California and rural areas” where patients must drive long distances to find a provider. “Abortion is already a time-sensitive service.”
  • At the end of the year, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule on whether mifepristone, a prescription drug used in medication abortions, can continue to be dispensed via telemedicine without seeing a provider in person — a service the agency approved provisionally this year. If the FDA allows the telemedicine option to continue, it will require the state to update its Medi-Cal provider manual. A new governor could install a director at the Department of Health Care Services who wouldn’t update the manual, and Medi-Cal enrollees who want medication abortion might have to see their provider in person first.

“California already has abortion deserts within our own state,” Hicks said. Even a barrier that seems small “still matters for someone trying to get services.”

Democratic consultant Rose Kapolczynski said the threat an anti-abortion governor could pose to abortion access is real, regardless of how long that person held office. Newsom’s replacement would immediately have to start running for reelection, she said, which provides the incentive to do big things in the first year.

“The Newsom team knows they need to do everything they can to motivate Democrats to mail in their ballots, and they’re talking to those voters about the issues they care most about,” Kapolczynski said. “It’s completely legitimate to talk about what happens if the recall succeeds.”

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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