Story of Hope: Miranda Robles

Story of Hope: Miranda Robles 

For her first case as a new CASA advocate, Miranda Robles chose to advocate for Jessie and Jeremy after she learned about the severe neglect, medical neglect, and abandonment they both suffered. Throughout the case, Miranda advocated diligently for 3-year-old Jessie and 1-year-old Jeremy focusing on their medical, psychological, and educational needs. Both kids were placed in separate homes. Jessie was placed with her biological father and Jeremy was placed with foster parents. When Miranda first saw Jeremy, he was small and still getting over withdrawals from being born drug positive for methamphetamines.


Miranda advocated for Jessie and Jeremy to get therapy and treatment, especially Jeremy considering his development. Miranda visited Jessie and Jeremy in person once every month in each of their placements, one of them being almost an hour away. During her visits, Miranda made sure to get updates from the children’s placements, daycares, and the caseworker. Miranda saw Jessie was not speaking as much compared to an average 3-year-old, but throughout the visits, Miranda started to see Jessie speak more and retain information such as the colors and counting with her biological father. Jessie’s speech also improved more when she started going to daycare and was speaking more with her teachers and interacting with other kids.



For Jeremy, Miranda knew he needed a lot of services and made sure his placement was on top of getting those services put in place. As each month passed, Miranda saw Jeremy grow bigger and healthier. When Miranda called his daycare, they said he was learning quickly. Jeremy was able to grab items with his hands, pick them up with his fingers, and started crawling as well. Each month, Jeremy showed progress in his therapy, physically, emotionally, and developmentally. Miranda saw the foster parents genuinely cared for Jeremy and made sure he had all the supplies he needed. Throughout the case Miranda became more and more confident that both kids were healthy and safe in their placements.


Jessie showed love for her father and her sister who stayed with them. Jessie did also show a connection with her biological mother despite her mother’s negation to get clean. Jessie’s father would not do anything to put her in harm’s way, even if that meant keeping her from her mother. As for Jeremy, the foster parents loved him and would do anything to protect him. Miranda saw they were open to letting his biological parents write him a letter and present it to him when he is older. The foster parents were also open to having sibling visits once both children are a little older. Miranda made sure throughout her case the children were safe and taken care of in the homes they were currently in.


This was Miranda’s first case that resulted in both reunification and adoption, she did an amazing job making sure they found their forever homes.

Story of Hope: Staff Advocate JoAnn

By bfines • March 9, 2026
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.

March Advocate Spotlight

By bfines • March 9, 2026
Johnathan Cobb
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