In February, 2007, 5 little boys entered foster care.  The boys were 5, 7, 9, 12 and 13 years old. The parents were arrested for shoplifting and for violating their probation for previous illegal activity. While in the custody of the Denton County Sheriff’s Department, both parents tested positive for methamphetamines.  As a result, the boys were tested and also found to be positive for methamphetamines.

When meeting the boys for the fist time, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Supervisor and CASA advocate were struck by how polite and respectful each of the boys were, yet each of them retained an abundance of boyish enthusiasm. 

All five boys were placed together in a foster home in a small town two hours from Denton.  In addition to regular visits with the boys, the CASA advocate kept in close contact with the foster parent.  It was this close contact which allowed the CASA advocate to clue into the plan that the foster mother had for recommending the older boys be placed on psychotropic medications.  Nothing the CASA advocate had seen in her visits with the boys, or heard from the foster parent seem to justify the need for such strong medication.  The CASA advocate began to research her options to help block the boys from being placed on the medications.

She alerted CPS of her concerns, maintained contact with the foster parent and maintained contact with the foster placement agency.  The CASA advocate talked to a multitude of the boy’s teachers at their current and previous schools, the school counselors, diagnosticians and the school principals.  She found that no one at the school had concerns with the boys conduct, learning abilities or anything else to justify psychotropic medications.  The CASA advocate then contacted the agency which would be doing the boy’s psychological evaluations and making recommendations, which could include the psychotropic mediation.  Based on the CASA advocate’s contact with the psychiatrist, the doctor agreed to further evaluate the boys before prescribing medications.  As a result, the little boys were not placed on psychotropic medications.

While all this was taking place, the maternal grandparents of the boys were interested in having all five boys placed with them (a kinship placement).  In order for this to occur, a home study had to be conducted and approved.  It was completed some three months later by an outside agency and although there were environmental concerns mentioned in the home study, they was nothing that couldn’t be worked out with the right guidance.

The CASA advocate worked with the grandparents to alleviate the concerns in the home.  She then went back to the home and took pictures of the corrected conditions of the home.  She gave copies of the pictures to CPS and to the boys’ attorney ad-litem so that the placement could move forward in a timely fashion - and it did!

If the CASA advocate had not assisted the grandparents during this process, their home could have been rejected, or placement would have been delayed or the boys could still be in a stranger’s foster home.

Thanks to the diligence of the CASA advocate in this case, the boys were spared being prescribed unnecessary psychotropic medications and were placed with relatives in a fairly short period of time.  This is a terrific example of how CASA is truly making a difference in the lives of children every day!
For more information about CASA, go to www.casadenton.org, email: info@casadenton.org, or call: 940-243-2272.