Story of Hope: Janet Penley
October Advocate Impact Story
Written By: Janet's Advocate Supervisor
This case started due to allegations of physical abuse of 2-year-old Joshua. The Department received a referral stating that Joshua had bruising on the left side of his face to his ear. Initially, the family denied that any abuse or neglect had occurred in the home, but then later the mother called CPS and confirmed that her boyfriend had slapped the child. The Department requested that the boyfriend move out of the home, and they started working services without any legal intervention.
Unfortunately, the mother was not able to be protective of Joshua and still allowed her boyfriend around her son, which put him at risk of ongoing physical abuse. Joshua and his baby brother Shawn were ultimately removed from the home and placed in foster care at an emergency shelter.
At the 1st hearing, the Judge granted the removal, but made the unique recommendation that the children be placed with their mother, and that Shawn’s father not be allowed to have unauthorized visits or contact with the children. The Judge was hopeful that with services, the family could be quickly reunified and that the bond with the mother could continue if they were with her. The Judge also requested that a CASA be appointed as soon as possible to ensure that there would be an additional person to check on these kids.
Janet and Stephen Penley were quickly assigned to this case. Janet is a tenured CASA volunteer who had expressed a desire to work more closely with parents on her next case if possible, something this case had. The mother on this case was only 17 and had not had a very stable childhood, and would need all the positive support she could get.
Janet quickly got in contact with the CPS worker and the mother in order to visit the children. She realized that the mother was now living with the paternal grandmother with the children. The grandmother had expressed concerns that the mother would leave with the children for long periods of time, and she wasn’t sure where they were going or what they were doing. There was already concern that the mother was not being protective of the children, and after several attempts to ensure that the children would be safe with the mom, the children were ultimately placed in a foster home.
The boys were initially placed in a foster home together, but it was quickly determined that Joshua needed to be in a foster home where the foster parents could devote all of their attention to him. He was having a lot of behavioral issues and anxiety and the foster parents could not care for both children together. Joshua was moved into a new foster home, and Janet helped with the transition and ensured that play therapy was set up as soon as possible.
As the case continued to progress, the mother was trying to make progress, but found it hard to leave her boyfriend permanently. Janet kept in contact and continued to encourage the mother to work her services and learn from her classes. In the meantime, both boys adjusted to their foster placements, and were doing well. Both sets of foster parents acknowledged the importance of the sibling connection and made time to set up play dates and even would celebrate holidays and go on vacations together. They would even let the boys FaceTime each night to say good night to each other.
Both sets of foster parents acknowledged the importance of the sibling connection and made time to set up play dates and even would celebrate holidays and go on vacations together.
As trial approached, a paternal aunt was identified that wanted to have placement of Shawn only. The Department did a home assessment, and recommended that Shawn should be moved and placed with family. Janet went to visit the aunt and observed multiple visits to ensure that she could make an informed recommendation about whether a placement change would be in the best interest of the children. The parties were not all in agreement about changing placement, so a hearing was set.
Janet was not recommending a change in placement for Shawn. She was called to testify, and she stressed the importance of the sibling bond. She stated that even though the brothers are not placed together, the current foster parents were encouraging that sibling bond. She stated that the visits could probably not continue if the placement changed. She also stressed the fact that Shawn had now been with the foster parents for a year and that he was well bonded and did not really know the aunt even though she was family. Janet was also very concerned about the potential for the paternal side of the family to have ongoing access to the child, like what had happened in the past. After Janet’s testimony, the Judge denied the request to move the child and ordered that Shawn should stay in his current foster home.
[Janet] was called to testify, and she stressed the importance of the sibling bond.
Janet’s testimony was powerful because at this point, she had been on the case the longest since the original CPS worker had resigned, and a new worker had been recently assigned. Janet’s testimony also made an impact because she had visited not only the foster parents, but she had also observed the relative’s home, and visits with the child as well. This was something that the caseworker could not testify to.
The day of trial arrived, the parents on the case were still in a relationship, the father of Shawn was also pending a criminal trial for the injury to Joshua, and the mother was pregnant and had multiple warrants. The parents were not able to take care of their children, so they ended up relinquishing their rights. The current goal is for both boys to be adopted, and Janet will continue to fight for their rights to stay together when that happens.
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Brenna Albracht began her journey as a CASA advocate in October 2020. In the fall of 2021, she signed onto her second case—a case that would change both her life and the life of a young boy named Anton. Anton and his two siblings had been involved in a long CPS legal case that began in September 2018 and concluded in June 2020. His siblings were placed in the conservatorship of their paternal grandparents, while their parents retained possessory rights. However, the grandparents did not want Anton. His parents’ rights were ultimately terminated in the hope that the Department could find him a forever home. Anton was sent to a foster home in Houston, Texas. By 2020, Anton had lost nearly everything—his mom, his dad, his siblings, his grandparents, and his hometown. Initially, Brenna had planned to resign from CASA after completing her first case, as she was relocating to Houston for school. But when she learned about Anton and that he was in Houston, she made a decision that would change his life: she stayed with CASA and signed onto his case. For the next four years, Anton remained in that same foster home. While his basic needs were met, the foster family was not interested in adopting him. Brenna, however, never wavered. She visited Anton every month, checked in with his therapists to ensure he could process his trauma, connected with his teachers to support his education, and persistently reminded CPS that this little boy needed a forever home. She stayed in close contact with his attorney and advocated for him in court. From 2021 to 2025, Brenna made sure Anton was never forgotten. In 2023, Anton’s siblings re-entered care due to neglect and abuse by their grandparents. CPS offered his parents a second chance to make positive changes—and this time, Mom successfully reunited with her daughters. Seeing this, Brenna recognized an opportunity for Anton: not only could he find a forever home, but he could also be reunited with his family. Through Brenna’s tireless advocacy, Anton was finally able to return to his hometown of San Antonio in 2024 and, several months later, was placed back with his mom and sisters. In June 2025, CPS petitioned the court to reinstate his mother’s parental rights, and Anton was finally a whole family again. Because of Brenna’s dedication, Anton got back his mom, his sisters, and his hometown—a true testament to the power of consistent advocacy.
Joshua Antwon Merrills
