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 March 2025, Child Protective Services removed four young children, just 7, 4, 2, and 3 months old, from their mother’s care. This difficult step followed ongoing concerns about neglect, largely connected to the mother’s struggle with substance use, even during her most recent pregnancy. Although CPS offered support through Family Based Safety Services, the mother was unable to engage in the help provided. The children’s father was also unable to support them due to his own substance abuse and his incarceration in Bexar County Jail. Before removal, the children’s basic medical and educational needs were going unmet. They had been moved repeatedly between their mother and other relatives, leaving them without the stability, routine, and nurturing supervision every child deserves. When CASA Staff Advocate, JoAnn Herring, was assigned the case in April 2025, she immediately reached out to both kinship caregivers to understand the children’s needs and how to best support the families stepping in to care for them. JoAnn quickly learned that the paternal grandmother, who lovingly took in some of the children, was struggling financially and facing barriers due to limited English proficiency. To ensure she wasn’t facing these challenges alone, JoAnn submitted a CFE (Collaborative Family Engagement) referral and personally provided translation support so the grandmother could access services with dignity and understanding. Throughout the case, JoAnn has witnessed moments where cultural sensitivity was lacking, and personal biases influenced important decisions; often at the expense of what was best for the children. Despite these obstacles, she continues to advocate steadfastly and compassionately for the children to remain with the kinship caregivers who have opened their homes and hearts to provide safety, consistency, and love. Although the case is not yet over, Joann’s story demonstrates that CASA’s advocacy reaches beyond the children themselves, strengthening the village of care and support surrounding them, because CASA wants children to be safe, to thrive, and to have their overall well-being protected.
Johnathan Cobb
