January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month |
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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Every year since 2010, the President has dedicated the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime. The U.S. Department of State raises awareness of human trafficking domestically and abroad, through U.S. embassies and consulates.
During this month, we celebrate the efforts of foreign governments, international organizations, anti-trafficking entities, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, businesses, and private citizens all around the world to raise awareness about human trafficking.
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142 CASA volunteers served 282 children in December and helped find safe, permanent homes for 12 of those children.
132 children are still waiting for someone to be their voice.
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Recruiter's Corner
It only takes 30 minutes to learn about the difference a CASA can make in a child's life.
Register for a virtual CASA 101 information session here.
Our next CASA training will begin March 13, 2023.
"When you connect to the heart of a child, everything is possible."
Dr. Karen Purvis
Child.tcu.edu
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Join as as we continue to thank all of the donors who made this Christmas so very special for our CASA children. You have made so many of their wishes come true! |
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Visits with our CASA children are one of the most important roles for a CASA Volunteer. Our national and local standards mandate that regular in-person visits occur at least monthly unless there is an approved exception discussed with the CASA Supervisor. While our advocates generally do an outstanding job in making the visits, sometimes information gathering from caregivers reduces the purpose of the visit, which is to spend quality time with CASA children.
Our CASA kids are why we do this work so we want to ensure that the CASA child visit is child-centered. Often times, foster parents want to utilize these visits to discuss the child’s behavior or to express concerns about the case. We often hear of CASAs being asked to do things outside the scope of their role. These and many other factors can take away from the purpose of the visits, which is to spend time with our CASA children.
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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.
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In 2022, the Children's Advocacy Center provided advocacy and forensic interviews to 758 children.
In the River Region, 45 children and families were provided 540 hours of counseling.
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Human Trafficking Awareness Month
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This month, we'll be bringing you some basic facts and stats about human trafficking – because the more you know, the better equipped you’ll be to make your community a safer place for children. Human trafficking is defined as any situation of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power. In the case of child sex trafficking, force, fraud, or coercion do not need to be present — the crime is simply the exchange of any sex act with a child for anything of value. For vulnerable children, these “things” can include a place to sleep, or a hot meal, drugs, a ride, etc.
If you are interested in attending one of our upcoming Caregiver trainings to learn more about human trafficking, red flags, and ways to protect our children, please click the selected date below to register!
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Upcoming Webinars and Conferences
*CASA Volunteers are required to receive 12 Continuing Education hours per year. Only 4 can be articles, newsletters, and films.
February 16: CIP Cafe Presents: Motions
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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. |
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In 2022, Child Advocacy Services CASA Program served 479 children with 179 volunteers dedicating over 6,485 hours. The CAC Program provided 758 forensic interviews and 540 counseling sessions to children and families.
YOU can help us do more by investing in services for children!
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