Newsletter

Yuma CASA Program January 2014 In This Issue:

Page

Coordinator's Comments

1

Help Wanted & Reminders Christmas Party Thanks

2

CASA Anniversaries

4

Quilt Raffle

4

Farmer's Market Pictures CPS Yuma County 2014 Goals

4

Children's Art Festival Pictures

5

Training Opportunity – January H.U.G.

6

FCRB Vacancy Announcement

6

Amberly's Place Statistics Movie & Book Reviews

7

January Calendar

9

Contact Info

9

Coordinators Speak Out

3

5

8

Visit our CASA of Yuma County Facebook Page & the Arizona CASA website

Newsletter Committee: Editors - Susan/Cindi Design/Layout – Ruth/Carol January 2014

Volume 5 Issue 1

Hello Volunteers, 2014 will be a spectacular year for many new beginning’s for the CASA program. We already have five new volunteers going to the CASA Academy in January. We hope to continue to see an increase in the number of volunteers over the next few months. We will continue to develop and build on programs we began in 2013. This includes conducting an all-day training for CASAs, making our Facebook page more relevant and useful for you to use in keeping abreast of what’s going on in the program, more Meet and Greets and tours with CPS staff and service agencies, expansion of the mentor program, having you decide the types of training you want at the H.U.G.’s, and increasing opportunities for CASAs to get together and share ideas or frustrations with each other in a safe and private environment. To this end, the first Peer Support Group meeting will be held on January 6th. I hope as many of you as possible will attend. The first part of the meeting will involve a review of an actual case to give suggestions on ways to proceed in this difficult case. Afterwards, CASAs will share ideas and frustrations amongst themselves. Also, please mark your calendar to attend the January 9th H.U.G. We will be asking for input on what type of trainings you want to have. We asked a few of our internal and external stakeholders for their “New Beginnings” for the New Year. The CPS goals are included in this newsletter, page 5. We hope to publish goals from other stakeholders in future issues (e.g., Judges, YCCI, Best for Babies). I hope you’ll take the time to read and understand the priorities of these organizations for 2014. Our goal is to increase the understanding of the roles of the different agencies involved in serving the needs of foster children and teens. We have scheduled a Meet and Greet with AMERIPSYCH on January 27th. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. We will continue to look for opportunities to expand our CASA program by attending Community Events. So, please keep an eye on the monthly

“New Beginnings”

Page 1

calendars, flyers, and emails sent out so you can participate and help with recruitment. We can’t do these events without your help.

As a reminder: Court reports must be submitted three weeks before the court date. We are working on a workshop to make it easier to write these reports. It will address new, updated, and basic report information. We hope to have it ready soon. Read about an FCRB vacancy on page 6. CASA’s are eligible to be part of this important board that reviews the status of foster cases and conducts monthly reviews. I feel very excited about our New Year and look forward to the new beginnings that will open so many new opportunities to address the diverse needs of foster children in our community. As always, I want to thank you for the awesome work you do. Although we may face some challenges and frustrations, the children make it worth the effort.

--Dennis & Sylvia

Please call the office if you’re interested in helping us do any of the following functions: 

Helping with CASA Newsletter (Example, research, write article, be on committee, etc.)



Taking photos at CASA events, such as H.U.G., lunches, special activities, etc.



Manage the CASA Facebook page. Responsibility includes inserting/removing articles, and other tasks required to keep the page current and useful.



Need volunteers to staff the CASA booth at events at events and church outreach recruitment.

Even if you just think you might be interested, please call the office to discuss.

Reminders



Jan 6th, First CASA Peer Support Group Meeting, All encouraged to attend



Jan 24th, Crossroads Mission Tour, 10 a.m.



Jan 27th, Meet & Greet with AMERIPSYCH, 10 a.m., Clarion Suites

January 2014


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Thanks To Those Who Made our CASA Christmas Party Possible:  Sheriff’s Posse provided the food  First Assembly of God Church provided the space  The Core Youth Group, Calvary Temple of Christ, provided service  Marcia VanLuvanee for the decorations  and setup

Sheriff’s Posse (Dennis Snook, Bill Kennedy, The Core Youth Group

Bruce Procter & Steve Steenhard)

Time to eat

Ornament Exchange

Complete photos will be in the Christmas Edition January 2014


Page 3

Congratulations & Thank You

CASA Anniversaries:

Have You Bought Your Ticket Yet? They are Still Available! The Yuma Council for CASA Board is raffling off a quilt from the Desert Lily Quilt Show, Friday and Saturday, January 17th and 18th, Yuma Convention Center. There is a an announcement at the CASA office, where you may also purchase raffle tickets. You may be a winner of a beautiful, handmade quilt (which was displayed at the Christmas party). The proceeds will support the foster children we serve. Get your tickets today! Drawing will be on January 18th, 3:30 p.m. You don’t need to be present to win.

CASA’s in Action Farmer’s Market, Dillard’s Parking Lot, Yuma Palms

January 2014


Page 4

New Beginnings

CPS, Yuma County 2014 Goals --Promote a dynamic workforce dedicated to a culture of quality and timely service, resulting in safety, permanency and well-being for children and families; --Build better relationships with our stakeholders and service partners which will ultimately result in safe children, healthier families, and a stronger community; --Reassure our community that child safety is of foremost importance in Yuma County, and that we will continue to strive to do our best to address the issues of child abuse and family dysfunction.

Children’s Art Festival November

January 2014


Page 5

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES-Increase your knowledge H.U.G., January 9th, 11:30 Detention Training Room. Bring your lunch.

This will be an important session to attend because it will be a panel discussion (lead by Susan Steenhard) to find out what trainings you want presented at H.U.G.’s and at special training sessions during 2014. We need your input. An email survey will be sent to convey your desires. You can also send suggestions directly to Susan or to the CASA office.

Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) Vacancy Announcement There is currently a vacancy on the Wednesday Board. If you are interested, please look up “Foster Care Review Board” on the internet to get more information and the application form. The Board is composed of members of the community including CASAs. It’s very important that persons commit themselves to attend regularly. Additionally, it takes 8 or more hours of advance preparation by Board members to go over all of the cases, depending on all of the variables each month. The FCRB conducts case reviews twice a month; first Wednesday and Thursday (except when it falls on a holiday, such as in January, when it meets on the second week). The Board reviews each dependency at least every 6 months. When a CASA is on a case, it is important for them to attend to give their point of view. Also, we love to see pictures of the kids, and even have the kids visit with us. It is also important for the Board to have a copy of the Court Report, if possible. Sometimes, the timing of the court date does not allow this. Please consider applying for this vacancy. It’s another crucial dimension of serving foster children and teenagers in our communities.

January 2014


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Amberly’s Place Statisyics AMBERLY’S PLACE 2013 Client Demographic Information All Victims Was victim served In Person By Phone Total *No. of Victims Served In Person Only* Referring Agency: Yuma Police Department Yuma County S.O. Somerton Police Department San Luis Police Department Wellton Police Department Quechan Police Department Cocopah Police Department Imperial County S.O. Child Protective Service FBI/CID/Military/NCIS AWC Border Patrol Call In's or Unreported Totals Type of Crime All Victims Child Abuse, Physical Child Abuse, Sexual Domestic Violence Adult Sexual Assault Adults Molested as Children Assault/Threats Elder Abuse Stalking Kidnapping Type of Crime Unknown Other (Homicide/Attempted) Totals Total # of Victims/Cases # of Victims # of Cases Jane Doe Cases # of Forensic Exams

January 2014

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Total

199 9 208

170 5 175

184 5 189

167 4 171

188 4 192

146 1 147

160 6 166

211 11 222

158 4 162

174 5 179

148 3 151

1905 57 1962

95 33 5 51

98 33

97 39 4 28

85 34 1 33 13

81 35 6 26 3

68 32 9 25

85 24 2 25

108 30

73 24 5 29

93 30 4 24 3

80 22 3 17 5

963 336 39 321 30

2 3

1

2 2

3 7

12 32

18 3

6

8

45 3

4 1

1

1

1

4

8 5

1

8

24 208

17 175

16 189

4 171

28 192

5 147

24 166

34 222

2 25 162

20 179

14 151

20 42 121 15

12 57 80 18

9 50 107 23

19 35 94 23

22 28 109 10

8 38 73 26

4 39 95 16

22 43 136 8

12 43 94 11

5 36 121 13

17 38 80 9 3

150 449 1110 172

4

5

1

3 3 3

2

4

1

11 20

2 4

6

1

14

2 211 1954

2

208

2 175

189

171

3 192

1 147

3 166

2 9 222

208 76 1 4

175 72 0 5

189 73 1 10

171 64 0 5

192 74 0 2

147 68 1 6

166 70 2 9

222 92 2 3


162

179

3 151

21 1962

162 63 0 4

179 75 1 7

151 68 0 4

1962 795 8 59

Page 7

Everyone Loves Babies... 1 hr, 20 min Experience joy and happiness at its purest in this life-affirming, universal celebration of the magic and innocence of babies.

Bring your lunch --- Popcorn provided When: 11:30 a.m., Friday, January 31st

Where: Detention Training Room

A Father’s New Beginning By Lawrence Agresto

DESCRIPTION: A Father's New Beginning was written to provide support, guidance and inspiration for single fathers, single parents and fathers in general. Through this book and his website Single Dads with Heart, Larry is committed to making a difference in the world, one child at a time. A Father's New Beginning takes you on a heartfelt journey and learning experience about how Larry made a difference in the lives of his two daughters, so that you as a single father or single parent can learn how to develop similar results with your children. A Father's New Beginning is not about single dads managing their career or getting back out into the world of dating. It's about the day-to-day emotional challenges that a single father and single parents experience in raising their children. A Father's New Beginning walks you through the key emotional and behavioral attributes one needs to focus on and learn to master allowing them to guide their children to "be the best."

January 2014


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January 2014 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1

2

3

4

9 FCRB

10

11

17

18

CONTACT LOGS DUE

Happy 2014 5

6 Peer Support Meeting 11 – 1 DTR

7

Holiday-Office Closed

8 FCRB

Ruth Sanchez

12

13

14 YCCI Board Mtg. 10:30 Clarion

15

H.U.G. 11:30 DTR 16

CASA Academy Phoenix

Christopher Johnson

19

20

21

22

23

CASA Lunch at DaBoyz Maria Robles

26

27 Meet & Greet AMERIPSYCH 10-12 Vicki Freund & Sandra Magdaleno

Clarion Suites

28

Best for Babies Court Team Meeting 1:00 DTR

Yuma County CASA Program Juvenile Justice Center 2440 W. 28th Street Yuma, AZ 85364

29

30

24 Tour 10 a.m. Crossroads Mission

31 Movie Matinee 11:30 DTR

Contact Info We’re on the Web! See us at:

25

Feb 1 CONTACT LOGS DUE

Tel: 928.314.1830 Fax: 928.314.1995 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.supreme.state.az.us/casa/default.htm

Make a difference in a child’s life—Become a CASA Volunteer January 2014


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