This year, one local program encouraged its volunteers to focus on a fundamental part of advocating for DCFS-involved families; the Youth Bill of Rights.
CASA of Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer Counties had a goal: Make sure that every child being served by CASA understands their rights. To accomplish this, local CASA staff developed training and resources for advocates that would equip them to communicate these rights in an age-appropriate and meaningful way.
Their program saw the payoff of this initiative quickly. In one case where a CASA Volunteer was advocating for a set of three siblings, the children had entered foster care on three separate occasions. Previously, the kids were unaware of their rights and did not understand the documents they were signing with their caseworker.
Through CASA’s continued focus on providing best interest advocacy to youth in Illinois, the set of siblings learned that they had the right to maintain contact with friends from their previous school, and they chose to request a memory book for their friends to sign and collect phone numbers, since they had just moved placements an hour away from home.
CASA programs all over the state are working hard to support children's unique needs and best interests. Learn more about the role of CASA volunteers.
