"Back to School Anxiety During COVID-19"

Children who are heading back to the classroom this fall are facing unusual challenges, and one of them is anxiety about being separated from their families after months of togetherness. For some kids it will trigger separation anxiety, in addition to the anxiety they may feel about leaving their safe harbor from the pandemic.

“Kids are just really used to being home with their parents now,” notes Jennifer Louie, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. Even kids who had comfortably adjusted to being in school before the pandemic are finding it stressful to be separated now. And, she adds, “there is the added fear that other people are not as safe as we thought they were.”
141 CASA volunteers served 280 children in July and helped find safe, permanent homes for 6 of those children.
102 children are still waiting for someone to be their voice.
It takes 30 minutes to learn about the difference a CASA can make in a child's life.

Register for a virtual information session so you can join us for the next training starting on September 13, 2021.
Recruiter's
Corner
This month, we are happy to share why advocate Mark Square said yes to becoming a voice for a child! Click the hashtag below to hear Mark's reason for saying yes.
"When you connect to the heart of a child everything is possible."
Dr. Karen Purvis
Child.tcu.edu
Monthly Visits Matter
Visiting with your CASA child at least once per month is a National CASA Standard and Child Advocacy Services CASA maintains compliance with that standard. Most of the time our advocates have no difficulty complying with this standard as it applies to their specific case. Sometimes our advocates struggle a little with this and wonder why we have to visit every single month. 
Remember to keep your CASA Volunteer file up-to-date with your current
auto insurance card, driver's license, and contact information. 
And remember to visit your CASA child face-to-face at least once a month.
In July, the Children's Advocacy Center provided advocacy and forensic interviews to 65 children.

In the River Region, 22 children and families were provided 45 hours of counseling.


Recognize, React, Report
A Community Resource for Protecting Children and Preventing Child Abuse

Child Advocacy Services is proud to share the Recognize, React, Report resource. This is a community resource for protecting children and preventing child abuse. This resource was originally designed because people often witness child abuse and neglect but do not understand their responsibility in reacting to the incident or making a report. Also, children themselves have a difficult time expressing concerns or understanding abuse. The interactive design makes this an excellent resource for adults and children to review together. This resource was recently updated to include information on keeping kids safe in a digital world as well the 5 Steps to Protecting our Children.

We can also offer a presentation reviewing the resource to children or adults. Contact our Prevention Services Coordinator for more information or to request copies of Recognize, React, Report:
Jordyn G'sell
(985) 785-5226 or jgsell@childadv.net
Not a #Number Caregiver Training
Please join on us on Thursday August 19th from 11:30 am - 1 pm for a lunch & learn opportunity via Zoom! We will discuss how to protect youth and recognize signs of human trafficking and exploitation.

This training is free! Please click the link below to register.

Webinars
Brave children tell their stories. Courageous adults help these children through their trauma and assist them in finding a safe future. Buttons of Bravery represent the journey of one child for a year under the care of Child Advocacy Services. 
In 2020, Child Advocacy Services CASA Program served 516 children with 198 volunteers dedicating over 7,564 hours. The CAC Program provided 614 forensic interviews and 457 hours of counseling to children and families.

YOU can help us do more by investing in services for children!
CHILD ADVOCACY SERVICES | CHILDADV.NET