Story of Hope: Emily Benedict

Emily has been an Advocate with CASA for about a year and a half. Upon graduating from her CASA training, she eagerly signed onto her first case. Emily knew from the beginning she wanted to help a teen girl who was in PMC status and needed educational help while achieving permanency. She read over the case of a 13 year old girl, Leah, whose parents’ rights had been terminated and was in a foster home. Leah had not obtained permanency and had been in care for over a year, as the foster parents wavered back and forth on their decision to adopt her.  Leah was also struggling in school and was behind a grade level or two in some of her academics.  Emily knew this was the child she wanted to be paired up with and amplify her voice in court. 


           Throughout the case, Emily has been a constant figure in Leah’s life. They go out to lunch or dinner, shop, and talk about school. Emily has advocated for Leah to obtain tutoring and follows up closely to ensure Leah’s educational goals are being met. Emily also communicated frequently with the foster parents, asking for their thoughts on adopting Leah, and their future goals. Emily maintains the caseworker, attorney, and CASA supervisor updated and informed of all issues pertaining to Leah. 


           A few months into the case, Emily began to notice Leah was no longer comfortable in her foster home. Leah confided in Emily her foster family was having doubts about adopting her and she felt she no longer belonged.  Leah desperately wanted to be on a volleyball team but missed the tryouts as her foster mother did not allow her to participate and wanted her to focus more on academics. However, her foster brothers were allowed to participate in sports. Furthermore, the foster family stopped inviting Leah on vacations and sought out respite care for her while they were gone. Emily remained in constant communication with Leah, reassuring her everything would be ok.


           Emily visited her in respite care and they continued their usual routine of lunch, shopping and talking to that Leah would know she had someone still looking out for her. Emily voiced her concerns about the foster family unsure about adopting Leah to the court. The Judge read the CASA report, asked the advocate questions and told the foster parents they needed to decide as Leah had been through so much and deserved permanency; either with them or another family.  Soon after the hearing, the family decided they would not be moving forward with adopting Leah and gave notice on her placement. Leah was devastated and felt very awkward being in the home knowing she was no longer going to be a part of the family. Emily spoke to the CPS caseworker and Leah’s attorney about increasing Leah’s therapy to address the situation, and the parties met to discuss the next steps and form a plan. Emily continued to visit with Leah and reassure her a new placement was being sought and she would make sure it was a safe environment where she could be herself and feel comfortable.


           About a month after giving notice, a new foster home was found for Leah. Emily visited the family, along with CPS, prior to Leah being placed to inform them of her educational status and goals, any behavioral issues, and her wish to be in volleyball and make new friends. Emily was also there with Leah during her transition into her new home and made sure Leah felt safe and comfortable.


           I am happy to report Leah is thriving. She just started another volleyball season after taking a break for the holidays. She really likes her coach and her teammates and was excited that they won their first game!  Emily takes her to practice at times and watches her play. Leah’s grades have also improved, so she is taking a break from tutoring and is excited to have her Saturday mornings back.  Her 15th birthday is coming up in March, and she is figuring out how to celebrate. And while she has normal disagreements with her foster sisters, she really enjoys being in the foster home. She respects her foster parents and she thinks they are kind. 

Story of Hope: Staff Advocate JoAnn

By bfines • October 15, 2025
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.

October Advocate Spotlight

By bfines • October 15, 2025
Sol Arena Russo
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