February Story of Hope: Luis
Advocate Impact Story
Luis was 4 years old when he had to be removed from his mother by CPS. A neighbor notified the police that the child was playing by himself outside and was almost struck by a car. When the police/CPS investigated the situation, they found his mom in a situation where she was clearly unable to continue to care for her child. It was later discovered that mom had a previous CPS and criminal history. The father was not in the picture at that time.
Due to these circumstances Luis had to be removed by CPS and placed with his maternal aunt and uncle. At the removal hearing the judge granted temporary custody to the state. Two months after the legal case started CASA was appointed to the case. Kathleen ‘Kitty’ Lange was the CASA volunteer assigned to advocate for Luis’ best interests. The first court hearing CASA attended was the six-month hearing and things were not going well from the parents’ perspective. Mom had not engaged in any of the services, other than visitation, and had either tested positive for drugs or no-showed to most of her drug tests. The father was just going to start therapy six months into the case and had not even provided proof of employment or residence. The child was doing very well in his relative placement, but unfortunately the placement informed CASA that they were not able to commit to provide long-term placement for the child.
When Kathleen observed parent/child visits she noticed that there was indeed a bond between mother and child. She also noticed that father and child also displayed a strong bond and fortunately the father had tested negative on all of his drug tests. She started to communicate with the parents and expressed to them the importance of that bond and to use that bond to motivate themselves to turn their lives around and regain custody of their child. All parties communicated to the parents that since the relative placement was not going to be permanent, if they were not successful in their services, their child could end up in foster care.
This reality lit a fire under the parents, especially Mom. She started engaging in all of her services and started testing negative on all her drug tests. A year after the case was open and when it was time to go to trial, instead of a termination (which seemed likely six months earlier) the judge ordered the child to be placed with the mother. Kathleen had cultivated such a positive relationship with the parents that she even convinced them of the importance of co-parenting. Sixteen months after the legal case started the court was dismissing the case and Luis was successfully reunified with his mother, with liberal visitation and joint custody with his father. It was a very unlikely outcome early in the case, but Kathleen conveyed to the parents early on that she was not going to give up on them. With their eventual efforts they demonstrated that they did not give up on themselves either or their relationship to their child and Luis was able to obtain permanency with his biological parents.
In September 2024, the department first became involved with a family of five following allegations of substance abuse and medical neglect concerning the mother. Child Protective Investigations (CPI) initially sought to keep the family together by implementing a safety plan with fictive kin—a family the mother and children had met during their stay at Haven for Hope. The hope was that this new placement would provide stability for the children while keeping them safely with someone familiar. For a few weeks, it seemed to be working. But on October 29, 2024, the mother told the fictive kin she was going to retrieve her remaining belongings from Haven for Hope—and never returned. From November 2024 through February 2025, CPS continued its efforts to locate her while supporting the kinship placement and meeting the children’s needs. In January 2025, the kinship placement informed the department that she could no longer care for the youngest child, Ava, due to her severe behavioral needs. Faced with these challenges, the department made the difficult decision to file for removal to provide more comprehensive support for the children and the kinship caregivers. Ava was quickly placed in a foster home in February 2025, while her three brothers remained with fictive kin. Around this time, CASA Staff Advocate JoAnn Herring was assigned to the case. By April 2025, safety concerns prompted the immediate removal of the boys. They were placed in an emergency shelter while the department and JoAnn worked tirelessly to explore placing them with their sister in her foster home. Caring for four children is a big ask, especially for new foster parents, but with support from JoAnn and the department, the foster family rose to the challenge. By May 2025, all four siblings were finally reunited under one roof—a first major victory for this family. Even with the siblings together, challenges remained. The children had significant medical and educational needs. Michael, who had experienced medical neglect while in his mother’s care, was diagnosed with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, requiring frequent doctor visits, hospital stays, and surgery. During these times, JoAnn visited the hospital regularly, offering support and encouragement to both Michael and his foster parents. JoAnn also worked closely with the department and foster family to ensure the other children—Ava, Mateo, and Leo—received the therapeutic and educational support they needed. Through Collaborative Family Engagement meetings, the team created a comprehensive plan addressing the children’s medical, educational, and therapeutic needs, with the goal of preventing placement disruption and ensuring the foster parents felt supported. Today, all four children are enrolled in school with 504 plans in place, and Michael has access to wrap-around medical services—another major triumph. The foster parents now feel confident in their ability to meet the children’s needs, and if the parents remain disengaged, the case may ultimately move toward termination. While that possibility is heartbreaking, the family has a permanent, loving home ready to care for them. Michael, though still facing significant medical challenges, has a strong team advocating for him every step of the way. This story is still unfolding, but it highlights the power of teamwork, advocacy, and dedication in helping children find stability, care, and hope. It’s a reminder of what can be achieved when community, department staff, and CASA advocates go above and beyond to support children and families in need.
Sol Arena Russo
