CASAs are made up of mostly childless middle class women who have *no* clue abut poverty, much less about raising children. Getting $Millions in government money, CASA admits to going with CPS recommendations over 97% of the time. So much for being "independent", which they are mandated to be! I have seen CASA go into a courtroom going along with the State's lame recommendations who doesn't even know the name of a child ~ with the CASA nodding eagerly in agreement.
Believe me CASA and GALs are a waste of our tax dollars. While I am suspicious of nepotist family courtrooms with assigned lawyers who stand to keep their case loads by losing their cases rather than winning them (if they give a damn at all), I say get these kids a REAL lawyer because at least their legal representatives have to answer to their Bar Association when they are unethical.
The most egregious thing being done is to let ignorant upper class (who are mostly white) women hold sway in court whose biggest crisis is that her nail broke. All she cares about is the yanking kids from poor families and placing them where they will live in that middle class home with the new car in the garage. Who cares about the hell going on behind those picture window curtains? She has *no* idea about the "wittle baybee" she is supposedly "saving". Like she "saves" anything but herself ... CASAs get away in court with bold face lying and proven perjury yet they still have complete immunity. As a matter of fact this is why they go into the court room with their own lawyer to protect their lily white asses, to hell with anybody representing the kid.
Our streets are full of runaway foster kids (and adopted kids) fleeing from their state paid tormentors. To recommend these houses of torture as "in the best interest of the child" is in great part because of a CASA's recommendations. These kids are raped, starved and beaten like this little girl was. This foster home is not some "abnormal" incident. The kid just raised the red flags because she died and the foster home is caught with their pants down (sometimes literally) is all. Most of the time these kids are just left to suffer.
If you read here that I am beyond disgusted with CASAs and their state-contracted paid cohorts, you are right. For good reason. Every single one of these contracted agencies profit off destroying low income families. In my book most CASAs need to drive their Lincolns home and tend to their broken nails or have a cocktail with Hubby after he gets home from the office, not given any power over something they have *no* clue about.
My 2 cents
Cat in Seattle
Board member of POWER and advocate for low income families http://www.mamapower.org
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