In New Zealand there has been a huge debate of late where a certain lobby group are trying to get 'smacking' of a child outlawed. The problem is 'smacking' and the law of 'reasonable force' can get very 'blurry' at times.
Sweden and some other countries had done this years ago and now have something like 30 pecent ? of children aged 3 years to 12 in social services 'protection' when the parents who dared smack their child ended up in court charged with assault on a minor.
I just hope you and your organization are NOT trying to go down this road.
We have a CASA program here too. My understanding is that CASA is not about a political agenda to remove parental rights. CASA is about insuring that the best interests of the child are served - to give the child a voice.
In this instance, the child would already be under court supervision, or at the very least, there would already be a protective services investigation taking place. A CASA representative gets to know the child and advocates for the child. This could mean advocating to remove parental rights or it could mean advocating to reinstate parental rights.
This might help you have a better understading of what CASA is, from HERE
What function do Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers serve?
CASA volunteers are trained to act as first-hand experts on the individual needs of abused and neglected children in foster care, giving them the best possible chance at a hopeful future.
As an appointed member of the court, a CASA volunteer assumes the following core responsibilities:
Serve as a fact-finder for the judge by thoroughly researching the background of the assigned case
Speak on behalf of the child in the courtroom, representing his or her best interests
Act as a "watchdog" for the child for the duration of the case, ensuring it is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion
Judges typically assign CASA volunteers to the most difficult and complex cases involving physical or sexual abuse and neglect. Several other factors are also considered in making this decision:
The instability of the child's current placement
The presence of conflicting case information
Concerns about the implementation of special services, such as medical care, counseling and education assistance
I used to be a member. I don't think that's what it means to you.
As to political advocates of any kind, they scare me. They give a small number of vocal individuals tremendous power. Their power is often used to shape political opinion and appeal to voters' emotions to further the advocates' agenda. I guess that's not what you wanted to hear. Sorry.
Yes....they sound very similar to 'CYFS' in my country (chilren, youth, families service). As a couple of my friends found out...someone within the department gets a 'bee in their bonnet' about you, kiss your kids goodbye (for awhile anyway, til you jump through all their hoops and pay a lot of money for their 'family court lawyers'.) And thats what it really is unfortunately...another money spinner for the lawyers involved.
It's not political at all. It's volunteers who GIVE their time to get involved and observe and obtain information that will help the courts make an informed decision, which isn't always easy to do given the work loads on the court system and the child welfare service departments.
A co-worker was heavily involved as a child advocate. It's extremely rewarding and awesome for the children.
Good on ya, Medic's Wife! It's superb that someone as kind and gentle as you are in there helping out the next generation!
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allan w.
In New Zealand there has been a huge debate of late where a certain lobby group are trying to get 'smacking' of a child outlawed. The problem is 'smacking' and the law of 'reasonable force' can get very 'blurry' at times.
Sweden and some other countries had done this years ago and now have something like 30 pecent ? of children aged 3 years to 12 in social services 'protection' when the parents who dared smack their child ended up in court charged with assault on a minor.
I just hope you and your organization are NOT trying to go down this road.
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johniam
Nothing like the state legally hijacking our kids.
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pond
I agree most states cant govt. their own politcal jobs much less try to manage families in America.
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Abigail
We have a CASA program here too. My understanding is that CASA is not about a political agenda to remove parental rights. CASA is about insuring that the best interests of the child are served - to give the child a voice.
In this instance, the child would already be under court supervision, or at the very least, there would already be a protective services investigation taking place. A CASA representative gets to know the child and advocates for the child. This could mean advocating to remove parental rights or it could mean advocating to reinstate parental rights.
This might help you have a better understading of what CASA is, from HERE
What function do Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers serve?
CASA volunteers are trained to act as first-hand experts on the individual needs of abused and neglected children in foster care, giving them the best possible chance at a hopeful future.
As an appointed member of the court, a CASA volunteer assumes the following core responsibilities:
Serve as a fact-finder for the judge by thoroughly researching the background of the assigned case
Speak on behalf of the child in the courtroom, representing his or her best interests
Act as a "watchdog" for the child for the duration of the case, ensuring it is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion
Judges typically assign CASA volunteers to the most difficult and complex cases involving physical or sexual abuse and neglect. Several other factors are also considered in making this decision:
The instability of the child's current placement
The presence of conflicting case information
Concerns about the implementation of special services, such as medical care, counseling and education assistance
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Jim
I know what CASA means to me: http://www.casaweb.org/
I used to be a member. I don't think that's what it means to you.
As to political advocates of any kind, they scare me. They give a small number of vocal individuals tremendous power. Their power is often used to shape political opinion and appeal to voters' emotions to further the advocates' agenda. I guess that's not what you wanted to hear. Sorry.
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allan w.
Yes....they sound very similar to 'CYFS' in my country (chilren, youth, families service). As a couple of my friends found out...someone within the department gets a 'bee in their bonnet' about you, kiss your kids goodbye (for awhile anyway, til you jump through all their hoops and pay a lot of money for their 'family court lawyers'.) And thats what it really is unfortunately...another money spinner for the lawyers involved.
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Tom Strange
I didn't see anything in medicwife's post about politics... maybe I missed it, but I thought it was about helping kids...
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Abigail
It is about helping kids.
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Belle
It's not political at all. It's volunteers who GIVE their time to get involved and observe and obtain information that will help the courts make an informed decision, which isn't always easy to do given the work loads on the court system and the child welfare service departments.
A co-worker was heavily involved as a child advocate. It's extremely rewarding and awesome for the children.
Good on ya, Medic's Wife!
It's superb that someone as kind and gentle as you are in there helping out the next generation!
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