A publication of The Chelan/Douglas CASA Program, PO Box 2027, Wenatchee, WA, 98807
(509) 662-7350, email:  cdcasa@nwi.net

Chelan Douglas CASA volunteers provided over 15,055 hours last year to protect children and promote their well-being!

The Chelan Douglas CASA Program (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) would like to announce two awards recently given to community volunteers and supporters, who truly went above and beyond in helping local children, suspected of being abused or neglected, have a voice. Without their help, programs such as CASA would not be able to function as volunteer child advocates.

For Outstanding Volunteer Award – Carolyn Smith. Though Carolyn has been the child advocate in several difficult cases, she has remained calm, caring, thoughtful, and above all else, very willing to make sure that the children were doing well. Carolyn is a wonderful example of a dedicated CASA Guardian ad Litem.

 

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Community Volunteer of the Year – Lisa Stroming, and the Sunshine Girls Bible Club. About 4 years ago, Lisa started a neighborhood Bible Club here in Wenatchee . As one of their community service projects, CASA has been overwhelmed by their thoughtful donations of toys for the CASA Christmas Stocking Project (year after year), a quilt that the girls made to raffle to raise money for more toys for foster children, and bowling (and collecting pledges year after year) at the CASA / YWCA Rock n Rowl Bowl-a-Thon for Kids!

A special thank you to both of these ladies, who do not help others for the recognition, but to simply help. We, at the CASA program, feel that these two ladies are an inspiration to us all!

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  From Washington State CASA

There is $6 million in additional funding for local CASA programs in the approved Washington State budget!  (This is new funding, in addition to our current $1.8 mil allocation.)   These additional resources will go directly to local CASA programs via the courts to recruit, train and support CASA volunteer representation for dependent children.

This is a major accomplishment for dependent children in our state.  While this does not get us all the way to a CASA for every dependent child in Washington, with this funding, local CASA programs will be able to stabilize their staff levels, lower caseloads and serve more children with CASA volunteers.

We are very grateful to all of our CASA legislative partners, our great local program staff, our board of directors and local judges - all of your words of support to the legislature and Governor's office made this happen for kids. 

                        by Lara Rogers, Washington State CASA, (206.667.9716)

YMCA Summer Camp

Do you know a foster child that would like to go to summer camp?  Please let us know ASAP at the CASA office as we may be able to help with some of the costs. 

Introducing…

Social Worker, Michelle Erickson began working with the Division of Children and Family Services in the Stevenson office before transferring to Wenatchee in December, 2006. Michelle, an Eastmont High School graduate, has her Master’s in Social Work from Eastern Washington University (EWU) as well as her BA in Social Work, with a minor in Spanish, from EWU.   

Michelle prides herself in having experience in many different settings serving adolescents, such as:

¨      Working with troubled and or adjudicated youth in a residential treatment center and at-risk youth in Crisis Residential Centers

¨      Directing an YMCA after school program

¨      Case Managing Behavioral Rehabilitation Services for hard to place foster children.  

She enjoys working with adolescents and is looking forward to what her future with the Wenatchee DCFS office will bring.  

Social Worker, Rebecca Springer graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1991 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice and began working as a social worker for the Department of Children’s Services in Wisconsin in 1993.  Rebecca’s experience includes:   

¨      On-going and investigative-CPS social work and licensing of foster homes

¨      Working with youth at risk/juvenile probation and voluntary services

¨      Facilitating parent trainings for foster parents and parents working with DSHS

¨      Coordinating Living Skills Program and serving on an inter-agency/county tribal board

¨      Providing services to adults with developmental disabilities. 

Rebecca also has 3 years experience working as a child and family counselor for Teen Challenge and for Children’s Home Society, and regularly volunteers for community outreach programs supporting youth and families.  During her career Rebecca has received over 700 hours of post graduate training specific to Children and Families and Mental Health Services.  Above all things, Rebecca sees herself as a mom first and devotes the majority of her “off time” to her family and friends. 

Social Worker, Rachel Jaffee grew up in Kirkland , WA, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Rachel worked for the State of Florida , Department of Children and Families, in mental health, for two years after college and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work from University of Washington .  Rachel’s experience includes:

¨      Mental Health,

¨      Early Childhood Education.  

¨      Certified Doula, Childbirth Educator and Maternity Case Manager

¨      Medical Interpreter

¨      Family Preservation Services.           

Rachel moved to Wenatchee with her son almost two years ago and loves waking up to blue skies and not commuting for two hours each day!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Staying Drug Free 

We all hope that children will never use and abuse illegal drugs.  Here are recommendations from the US Department of Health and Human Services for “Keeping Our Youth Drug Free”: 

            Keep communicating! 

            Be involved in their lives daily! 

Make clear rules and enforce them with appropriate consequences! 

            Be a positive role model yourself! 

            Teach children to choose friends wisely!

            Monitor your child’s activities! 

Online Training Education
 

The Arizona CASA program has given permission to use their series of 18 training modules that include topics such as:  - Report Writing   - Testifying in Court   - Interviewing Children - Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy 

Earn either 1/2 hour credit or an hour credit for each module with the Chelan Douglas CASA Program!  Each module has a short exam.  Please print out your results for our office records.  

Autism Support Group

on the 3rd Monday of each month, 6:30 pm at King’s Orchard Church, 1610 Orchard Street,Wenatchee.  All are welcome! 

CASA Satellite Office

The Chelan Douglas CASA Satellite Office, at the Chelan County Juvenile Center (316 Washington Street, Wenatchee) is now open!  If you need a quiet, confidential place to talk on the phone, or meet with someone about your CASA case, this space is available.  Take elevator to the basement and follow the signs.   

Here is the scheduled times that the office will be open, or please let us know at 509-662-7350 if you need to use the office at another time. 

            Monday:                   1-3 pm                        Tom Oelke 

            Tuesday:                  1-3 pm                        Terry Finn 

            Wednesday:             8:00-8:45 am             Sue Baker

                                                12:15-1:00 pm                                  

                                                                                                                                                            1-3 pm                        Sheila Berger

                                                                                                                                                            3:00-4:00 pm             Sue Baker 

Thursday:                9-11 am           Debbie Tornabene, CASA attorney. 

(Do you need legal advice concerning your CASA case?) 

            Friday:                       9-11:30 am                Tracy Baker 

From the Board 

In our beautiful Wenatchee Valley, the arrival of spring brings warmer weather and apple blossoms. Spring also brings us the opportunity to acknowledge and to give gratitude to our wonderful volunteers.  I had the privilege of attending a lovely volunteer reception at the Woods House. Despite the chilly wind outside, inside one could easily feel the warmth, love and dedication of all the volunteers who could attend. 

As I listened to Sue speak so kindly of each of you, I was truly amazed, and at times overwhelmed, as I realized the number of years each volunteer had so generously given to children.  As a part of CASA and as a member of the local medical community, I am well aware of the difficult and most often thankless jobs each of you have chosen to take upon yourselves. Please know that every minute, hour and day that you commit to the children, is time spent giving and sharing unconditional love for the children most unable to advocate for themselves. And, whatever your belief system, we must all accept that sharing love with others is what we were put on earth to do, first and foremost. So, on behalf of the CASA Board of Directors, we all say “Thank You”, and raise a toast, give a round of applause and bow down in your honor.               

We are also very excited about the funds we received because of the hard work of the Junior Guild and their Follies Production. We are currently looking for new larger locations for the CASA office that will have space for our CASA Closet. I will share more news as final plans and decisions are made, but it is a very exhilarating process.               

Peace Be With Every one of you.

Brenda Baumeister, President, Board of Directors

From the Bench

The Developmentally Disabled Parent

by Bart Vandegrift 

In dependency and termination proceedings, a developmentally disabled (“DD”) parent faces special challenges to comply with Court-ordered services.  The parent’s attorney, the CASA, the Department, service providers and the Court need to be aware of the parent’s limitations when communicating with the parent and when formulating a reunification plan.  Nevertheless, with few exceptions, the law does not provide special protections for the DD parent. 

“`Developmental disability’ means a disability attributable to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or another neurological or other condition of an individual found by the secretary to be closely related to mental retardation or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with mental retardation, which disability originates before the individual attains age eighteen, which has continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely, and which constitutes a substantial handicap to the individual.”  RCW 13.34.030(6). 

One of the few special legal protections mentioned above is the prohibition that “no parent or guardian may be deemed abusive or neglectful solely by reason of the parent’s or child’s blindness, deafness, developmental disability, or other handicap.”  RCW 26.44.015(3).  This means that a child may not be taken from the DD parent just because the parent is developmentally disabled.  There still must be proof that the parent is incapable of adequately caring for the child or that the parent is abusing or neglecting the child.  “A child should not be left in the custody of a parent whose [mental condition] renders the parent unable to understand or meet the needs of the child.”           Welfare of H.S., 94 Wash. App. 511, 528 (1999). 

Another special legal protection is that the Department’s “reasonable efforts” to reunify the family must be weighed in light of the parent’s limitations.  “Reasonable efforts” requires the Department to provide services that are modified to accommodate a parent’s specific disabilities.  Welfare of A.J.R., 78 Wash. App. 222, 229 (1995). 

A third special legal protection is that the Department must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”).  The ADA requires the Department to make reasonable accommodations to allow a disabled parent to receive the Court ordered services.  42 U.S.C. § 12132; 28 C.F.R. § 35.130(b)(7) (1994);    Welfare of A.J.R., 78 Wash. App. 222, 229-230 (1995). 

Nevertheless, “the [ADA] does not require public entities to provide the disabled with services not offered to others.”  Welfare of H.S., 94 Wash. App. 511, 521 (1999); id., Welfare of Angelo H., 124 Wash. App. 578, 587 (2004). 

Welfare of A.J.R., 78 Wash. App. 222 (1995), both the “reasonable efforts” requirement and the provisions of the ADA were satisfied where the developmentally disabled parents were given psychological evaluations, pictorial instructions and daily lessons by a public health nurse, visual teaching aids in their parenting classes, and referral to services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (“DDD”) (which provided an alternative living provider).  This Court considers it a “best practice” to refer DD parents to DDD for services in dependency actions.  Note, however, that a referral of DD parents to DDD for services is not a prerequisite to termination of their parental rights.  Welfare of Angelo H., 124 Wash. App. 578, 587 (2004). 

In termination actions, one of the elements the Department must allege and prove is that “there is little likelihood that conditions will be remedied so that the child can be returned to the parent in the near future.  A parent’s failure to substantially improve parental deficiencies within twelve months following entry of the dispositional order shall give rise to a rebuttable presumption that there is little likelihood that conditions will be remedied so that the child can be returned to the parent in the near future.  The presumption shall not arise unless the petitioner makes a showing that all necessary services reasonably capable of correcting the parental deficiencies within the foreseeable future have been clearly offered or provided.  In determining whether the conditions will be remedied the court may consider, but is not limited to, the following facts:  Psychological incapacity or mental deficiency of the parent that is so severe and chronic as to render the parent incapable of providing proper care for the child for extended periods of time or for periods of time that present a risk of imminent harm to the child, and documented unwillingness of the parent to receive and complete treatment or documentation that there is no treatment that can render the parent capable of providing proper care for the child in the near future.”  RCW 13.34.180(1)(e).  Even with this presumption, the Department is required to prove that it is highly probable that the parent’s condition will not improve in the near future.  Welfare of C.B., 134 Wash. App. 942 (2006). 

One final issue that should be addressed whenever a parent has cognitive limitations is whether he or she is competent to understand the legal proceedings and effectively assist his or her attorney.  If any party, including the CASA, suspects that the parent is or may not be competent, the matter should be brought to the Court’s attention so that the Court may decide whether to hold a hearing to determine if a Guardian ad Litem should be appointed to represent the best interests of the parent.               

(Bart Vandegrift has been the Chelan County Superior Court Commissioner since 1995.  He is the judicial officer primarily assigned to judge dependency actions in Chelan County.)  

Individualized Education Program: IEP

Each public school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).  The IEP is designed for that one student as a truly individualized document by creating an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities.  To create an effective IEP, parents, teachers, other school staff--and often the student--must come together to look closely at the student's unique needs. These individuals pool knowledge, experience and commitment to design an educational program that will help the student be involved in, and progress in, the general curriculum. The IEP guides the delivery of special education supports and services for the student with a disability. Without a doubt, writing--and implementing--an effective IEP requires teamwork.  

The IEP team must review the child's IEP at least once a year to see whether the child is achieving his or her annual goals and to revise the child's IEP, if necessary, to address:  

√        the child's progress toward annual goals in the general curriculum;

√        information gathered through any reevaluation of the child;

√        information about the child that the parents share;

√        information about the child that the school shares (for example, insights from the teacher based on his or her observation of the child or the child's class work);

√        the child's anticipated needs

The team may review and revise the IEP more often than once a year, if needed. Either the parents or the school can ask to hold an IEP meeting to revise the child's IEP. For example, the child may not be making progress toward his or her IEP goals, and his or her teacher or parents may become concerned. On the other hand, the child may have met most or all of the goals in the IEP, and new ones need to be written. In either case, the IEP team would meet to revise the IEP.

from the US Department of Education web site at:            www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide
 

Updated: 05/14/2007