APRIL 2023

    April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

     ​
Child Abuse Prevention Month is an annual observance in the
United States dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse.
April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States since 1983.
"During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we recommit to giving every child a
chance to succeed and to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and
nurturing environment that is free from abuse and neglect."

In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America declared the pinwheel as the national symbol
for child abuse prevention through the campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention.
Pinwheels symbolize the notions of playfulness, joy, and childhood. It serves as a reminder
of the great childhoods we want for all children. The cyclical nature of the pinwheel depicts
positive cycles of love and support we want to help families create.

CASA Jefferson encourages all advocates to display pinwheels at their homes and/or
workplaces to raise awareness of Child Abuse Prevention.
Please contact your supervisor to pick up pinwheels from our office.

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CASA Jefferson Volunteer Advocates
 
If you know anyone who would be interested in becoming a volunteer,
please have them contact Ms. Margaret
at 504-533-8757 [email protected]
 
With your help, we will work towards decreasing the number of children
on our waitlist. Currently we have 40 children waiting to be assigned to a
CASA volunteer. Thank you in advance for spreading our CASA Jefferson
mission to all of your family, coworkers and friends.
                                                                              
--- Wendy Magee
        CASA Jefferson
             Executive Director​

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This year CASA Jefferson is participating in the Run for it Charity Event
held on April 8th (Easter Weekend) at City Park. Help us reach our goal of 10k
and help us continue our work to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect.
​You can either run/walk/jog in person or virtually.
 
Registration Link: www.runsignup.com/Race/65952/Charity/6882
​

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​How to Report Child Abuse or Neglect? Call 1-855-4LA-KIDS
​(1-855-452-5437) Toll Free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
All calls are confidential.

    What is abuse/neglect?                                                                                                                        The Louisiana Children’s Code provides the following definitions of abuse and neglect
      neglect by a parent or caretaker:                                                                                                              
   "Caretaker" means any person legally obligated to provide or secure adequate care for a child,               including a parent, tutor, guardian, legal custodian, foster home parent, an employee of a public or            day care center, an operator or employee of a registered family child day care home providing a                residence for the child.   
    “Abuse” means any one of the following acts which seriously endanger the physical, mental, or
     emotional health and safety of the child:

• The infliction, attempted infliction, or, as a result of inadequate supervision, the allowance of the infliction or attempted infliction of physical or mental injury upon the child by a parent or any other person.
• The exploitation or overwork of a child by a parent or any other person, including but not limited to commercial sexual exploitation of the child.                                                                               
• The involvement of the child in any sexual act with a parent or any other person, or the aiding or toleration by the parent, caretaker, or any other person of the child's involvement in any of the following:
• Any sexual act with any other person.
• Pornographic displays.
• Any sexual activity constituting a crime under the laws of this state.
• A coerced abortion conducted upon a child.
• Female genital mutilation as defined by R.S. 14:43.4.

    “Neglect” means the refusal or unreasonable failure of a parent or caretaker to supply the child with         necessary food, clothing, shelter, care, treatment, or counseling for any injury, illness, or condition of      the child, as a result of which the child's physical, mental, or emotional health and safety is                      threatened or impaired. Neglect includes prenatal neglect. Consistent with Article 606(B), the inability      of a parent or caretaker to provide for a child due to inadequate financial resources shall not, for that        reason alone, be considered neglect.
    "Prenatal neglect" means exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or the unlawful use of any       y controlled dangerous substance, or in a manner not lawfully prescribed, which results in symptoms of        withdrawal in the newborn or the presence of a controlled substance or a metabolic thereof in his body    , blood, urine, or meconium that is not the result of medical treatment, or observable and harmful              effects in his physical appearance or functioning.

    ​What are the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect?
    The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse        and neglect.  The presence of a single sign does not prove child abuse is occurring in a family;                  however, when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination you should take a closer look at the          duration and consider the possibility of child abuse.
     Substance Exposed Newborns Reporting and Notifications   
    The impact of in-utero exposure to substances on a newborn and their family can be detrimental.  Withe increasing opioid epidemic, a new emphasis has been placed on the impact of these substances on newborns and their families.  
    Definitions Related to Substance Exposed Newborns
    “Newborn” means a child who is not more than 30 days old, as determined within a reasonable                degree of medical certainty by an examining physician.
    "Prenatal Neglect" means exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or the unlawful use of any           controlled dangerous substance, as defined by R.S. 40:961 et seq., or in a manner not lawfully                 prescribed, which results in symptoms of withdrawal in the newborn or the presence of a controlled           substance or a metabolic thereof in his body, blood, urine or meconium that is not the result of                 medical treatment, or observable and harmful effects in his physical appearance or functioning.  
A "Mandatory Reporter" is any of the following individuals: a health practitioner; mental health/social        service practitioner; member of the clergy; teacher or child care provider; police or law enforcement        officer; commercial film or photographic print processor; mediator; parenting coordinator; court-              appointed special advocate volunteer (CASA); organizational or youth activity provider and/or school        coach.

    Required Elements of a Prenatal Neglect Report
·         Alcohol Affected Newborns
·         Newborn must be 30 days old or less; and
·         Newborn must have either withdrawal symptoms or positive alcohol screen through blood, urine                or meconium test or have observable and harmful effects in his physical appearance or functioning.
·         Drug Affected Newborns
·         Newborn must be 30 days old or less; and
·         Newborn must have either withdrawal symptoms or positive toxicology screen through blood,                   urine or meconium test or have observable and harmful effects in his physical appearance or                   functioning; and Mother must have unlawfully used a controlled dangerous substance, or in a                   manner not lawfully prescribed, during pregnancy.
T      Reporting/Notification Requirements                                                                    
        Physicians are mandated to make a report of suspected prenatal neglect to the Child Protection                Hotline by calling 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437). Physicians are required to notify the                      Department of a newborn exhibiting withdrawal symptoms or other observable and harmful effects            in his physical appearance of a controlled dangerous substance used in a lawfully prescribed                   manner by the mother during pregnancy.

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Family Preservation Court
Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court

​Family Preservation Court (FPC) focuses on ensuring healthy, sober, and
safe parenting with the goal of family reunification while complying with the
Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997. Our FPC is available to eligible
families who are involved with the Department of Children and Family Services
(DCFS) and is designed to improve the safety and well-being of children.
 
We seek to provide parents with substance abuse treatment, structure, support
and the individualized services they need to achieve and maintain recovery and
develop the skills necessary to provide a safe home and successful life for
themselves and their children. The children will remain in the home with the
parent while the parent goes through treatment program.
 
Through this collaborative, non-adversarial approach, FPC integrates substance abuse
treatment and increased accountability into the process by utilizing the 10 key
Components of the Drug Court model. The goal is to give parents faster access to
treatment, the ability to stay in treatment longer and more access to treatment as
needed. With the intense intervention that FPC provides, the Judge and DCFS can
make faster and more well-informed decisions on the client’s ability to parent.
 
CASA’s are assigned to FPC cases and advocates for the child’s best interest while their
parent is going through the FPC program. Parents voluntarily enter the program and
agree to sign an FPC Participation Agreement. This agreement establishes the program
rules and explains how clients will be held accountable.
 
At first, clients appear in court every two weeks, with the frequency of court appearances
decreasing as clients progress through the program. Incentives are awarded to
recognize clients’ achievements and graduated sanctions are used when they violate
program rules. The minimum length of time to complete the program is twelve months.

For more information, please talk to your CASA supervisor.

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(Article from Lafayette Louisiana TV news station KLFY.com)
 

Human trafficking in Louisiana, “They are everywhere”

Louisiana has had nearly 1,000 victims of human trafficking victims were reported in the state
in 2021. The most common type of human trafficking is sex trafficking, when a child is
approached by a stranger or a family member and sold over and over again to engage in
sexual acts. Governor Edwards office has said that there are many other types of human
trafficking happening right here in Louisiana as well.

“Familial trafficking is something else that we hear about. It’s where family members might take
their own children and sell them or use them as sex services or labor services to gain money or
wages to support a substance abuse habit or to support their basic needs like rent, food, clothing,
and shelter,” Dana Hunter, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Human
Trafficking Prevention, said.

“We’ve heard from victims who have gotten teeth knocked out or beaten with pipes, all
manners of objects shoved up private parts,” Hunter added. “We’ve spoken with victims
who say, ‘Look, they told me they would kill my grandmother, who I’ve been raised by.
They told me they would kill my little brother, and they know what school he’s at.'”

Hunter said that these are only some of the many methods that a pimp or trafficker will use
to keep the victim in bondage. “We’ve heard from victims who said, ‘I couldn’t eat unless I
met a quota. sometimes that quota was $5,000.’ One victim shared with us their quota was
$10,000 a night. If we can only imagine a victim, one person having to go and do criminal
sexual acts and criminal acts to earn $10,000 in one night for someone else,” she said.

​She also said that human trafficking awareness is important because traffickers are a clear
and present threat. They are everywhere. They are in our schools. They are in our schools
through other children, through other adults. We encourage everyone if you feel like something
is not right, nine times out of ten, it is not right,” Hunter said.

If you suspect you or someone else is in immediate danger of a human trafficker,
call 911. You can also call the human trafficking hotline for help at 1-888-373-7888 or
text ‘BeFree’ to 233733. 

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Cameron Ponder
​Janel Edwards
Lorenza Lawless
Michele Paradise
Stacey Williams

Ronnie White Sr – 10yrs
Tonia Lee – 6yrs
Michele Paradise -6yrs
Casey Smith -5yrs
Carly Trujillo – 2yrs
Stacey Williams – 2yrs
​

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​Our Mission is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect through volunteers advocating
for safe, nurturing, and permanent homes for foster children in our community.

 
Our Vision is to have volunteers recruited, trained, and assigned to every child in the
foster care system in Jefferson Parish.