Date: 08/17/2015

Final
Child Welfare and Mental Health

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL READINESS

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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02:24 PM -- Child Welfare and Mental Health

Nia Wassink, Executive Director of Voices for Children Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), introduced herself and spoke about her organization in Boulder County. She explained that her organization's work is adjacent to the child welfare system, but not a part of it. She told the commission that CASAs serve kids ages 0 to 18 who have been victims of abuse or neglect. She pointed out that the children most likely to be abused or neglected are ages 0 to 2. Ms. Wassink said that while some children can remain in their homes, others are removed and placed in foster care. She explained that volunteer CASAs provide 10 to 20 hours per month to serve kids' needs and that unlike all other professionals in the child welfare or family court systems, CASAs serve only one family at a time. She relayed statistics from a handout to the commission (Attachment A) and told the commission that children with CASAs are more likely to be adopted, more likely to do better in school, and that her organization is working to expand this model. She pointed out that CASAs are now allowed to work in truancy court, which functions as a peripheral abuse and neglect system, and that CASAs got involved and uncovered previously unknown abuse.

15EarlyChildhood0817AttachA.pdf15EarlyChildhood0817AttachA.pdf

Ms. Wassink spoke about a series of recommendations from former foster youth (Attachment B). She discussed access to mental health services and explained that rural courts and counties have a much harder time finding access to mental health for children and parents in the child welfare system. She told the commission about federal programs for youth aging out of foster care and explained that school district educational liaisons for foster youth are key to increasing graduation rates. She pointed out that foster youth have lower graduation rates than homeless youth, and that children in foster care will most likely end up incarcerated, homeless, and using emergency rooms for mental health needs. Ms. Wassink stated that addressing needs in childhood improves outcomes for Colorado's communities.

15EarlyChildhood0817AttachB.pdf15EarlyChildhood0817AttachB.pdf

Senator Martinez Humenik asked whether or not CASAs interact with early childhood centers and preschools. Ms. Wassink replied that most reports that elicit an assessment come from schools. She stated that getting kids into school earlier provides a safety net, but that parents who have difficulty parenting find it challenging to get their kids to a program any earlier than is required. Senator Martinez Humenik stated that if children can get into programs earlier, recidivism would be reduced.

Representative Wilson asked if CASAs are volunteers, where does the funding come from to administer the program. Ms. Wassink spoke about the non-profit nature of her organization.

Senator Marble discussed her experiences as a volunteer CASA and spoke about the inability of the court system to do intelligent and complete investigations.

Senator Martinez Humenik spoke about the child welfare system and thanked Ms. Wassink for her work.

Representative Singer spoke about the challenges of social casework with kids, in particular staff turnover in social service departments. He asked Ms. Wassink how her organization addresses the turnover issue. Ms. Wassink replied that it can be detrimental to children to have a new caseworker every six months and explained that it adds to children's feelings of isolation and abandonment. She stated that caseworkers need more support, access to trauma resources, continuity of caseloads and positions. She also stated that the state's child welfare system should do more to keep siblings together.

Senator Martinez Humenik stated that staff turnover is a problem in early childhood settings too. She asked Ms. Wassink how her organization locates family, friend, or neighbor (FFN) caregivers. Ms. Wassink replied that many children are actually placed in FFN care, that children fare better there than in foster homes. She explained that family, friends, or neighbors will enroll children into educational programs sooner and more successfully than foster parents.