April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

By submitted, 04/18/17 1:15 PM

Texarkana, TX/AR – In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, CASA for Children is issuing a call to action for residents of northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas to stand against child abuse and take action to support children who have been abused or neglected.

At any given time, there are 250-300children in foster care in Bowie and Miller counties alone. These children come into the child welfare system through no fault of their own. CASA is seeing an increase in children entering the foster system.

“The needs of our local children coming into care are more complicated than ever before, and life in foster care can be chaotic,” said Leigh Davis, Development Director for CASA for Children. “Every child deserves the support of a caring, consistent adult with the training to help them heal and thrive.”

Throughout the month of April, CASA for Children is calling on members of the community to help our program serve more of northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas’s most vulnerable children. For those interested in learning how to help CASA serve more children this month, attend an hour long information session at 1201 Main Street, on Tuesday, May 2 or Thursday, May 11 at 9:30 a.m. or again at 5:30 p.m. each day. CASA holds these informative sessions every month on the first Tuesday and second Thursday.

Without intervention, the odds are stacked against children in foster care. A child with a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)volunteer, however, will leave the foster care system two-and-a-half months earlier, on average, compared to a child without a CASAvolunteer. Studies show children with a CASA volunteer receive more services that are critical to their well-being than children without an advocate, and those children are more likely to achieve educational success.

“CASAvolunteers are a constant for the child in a time of chaos,” said Davis. “A child may have multiple social workers, attorneys, therapists and foster placements throughout the life of the case but only one CASA volunteer, which can make all the difference for the child’s future.”

CASA for Children is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (National CASA), a nationwide network of programs in nearly 1,000 communities. At the heart of the movement are nearly 77,000 highly trained volunteers who advocate for the best interests of more than 250,000 of America’s children who have been abused or neglected. Locally, there are 80 volunteer advocates fighting for the best interests of approximately 350 children annually but 350 more children need the care and support of a CASA volunteer.

For more information about CASA for Children, to become a supporter or to volunteer, visit www.casatexarkana.org or call 903-792-1030.