President Signs Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act

On September 29th, President Obama signed H.R. 4980, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, which is intended to "prevent and address sex trafficking of children in foster care, to extend and improve adoption incentives, and to improve international child support recovery."  You can read a summary here:  

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4980?utm_campaign=govtrack_email_update&utm_source=govtrack/email_update&utm_medium=email#summary

Wings For Life - CASA!

Wings for L.I.F.E.

(Life-skills Imparted to Families through Education)

Making a Better Future for Our Children…

Presented By

Mary Colby, BSW, CASA

Meet and Greet CASA dogs Emma and Moose

St. Andrew’s Parish Hall

505 N. Pennsylvania 

SUNDAY, August 31^st, 2014

6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Free Dinner Provided

for questions call Shelly Currier, Director, 317-2042 

Webinar: "Finding Your Oxygen Mask: Living Well with Resiliency"

Upcoming webinar: “Finding your oxygen mask: Living well with resiliency.” Taking care of yourself so you can take care of others is not a new idea. Every airline in the world encourages you to first put on your own oxygen mask. In this interactive webinar, you will learn new strategies for taking care of yourself so you can be more resilient. The goal is not just bouncing back from adversity, but living well so you can flourish in your personal life as well as in your work at your CASA/GAL program.

Join Karen Kalergis, President, Mani partners, on September 25, at 11 a.m. Pacific. Register for this webinar on the National CASA Training Calendar.

Announcing a Co-Occurrence Webinar Series and a Custody Webinar Series

Overlap of Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Series  Please join the Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody (RCDV:CPC), a project of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), for a four-part series exploring both the complexities and opportunities that arise in working with families experiencing domestic violence and child abuse or neglect. This series is designed as both a conversation and learning opportunity for child welfare personnel, domestic violence advocates, legal professionals, and other community programs working with adult victims, men who use violence, and children exposed to violence. This series will be presented by Jennifer Rose, independent consultant for the NCJFCJ and Futures Without Violence. All webinars will last for an hour and fifteen minutes.

Part 1: Wednesday, August 27th, 2014 | 1pm PDT Exploring the Complexities and Opportunities: The Overlap of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and Neglect Part 2: Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014 | 1pm PDT Beyond Leaving: Working with All Families Impacted by Domestic Violence. Part 3: Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 | 1pm PDT Engaging with Men Who Use Violence: Building Opportunities for Safety and Change. Part 4: Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 | 1pm PDT Developing Practice and Partnerships that Support Safety and Well-being for Adult Victims, Children, and Men Who Use Violence. To register for one or more of the webinars in this series, please click the button below:

Wings For Life - Building Assets

Wings for L.I.F.E.

(Life-skills Imparted to Families through Education)

Reducing Risks and Building Resiliency

Building Assets Program

Presented By

Shelly Currier and Karen Barnett

(Registration Forms for After-School Programs Will Be Available)

505 N. Pennsylvania Avenue

St. Andrew’s Parish Hall

SUNDAY, August 10^th, 2014

6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

>Door Prize Drawing<

Doors open at 5:45 PM. Meeting starts at 6:00

Dinner provided & crafts for children in a family friendly environment

(Sitter available)

For Questions call:  Shelly @ 317-2042

Wings for L.I.F.E. is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

that provides education, life-skill training, and access to community resources 

How Childhood Neglect Harms the Brain

Experts have long known that neglect and abuse in early life increase the risk of psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, but now neuroscientists are explaining why. They're showing how early maltreatment wreaks havoc on the developing brain. 

Like any new mother, the woman we’ll call Braille was full of hope and excitement the day she welcomed her son into her life seven years ago. “Peter” was 7 years old at the time of his adoption. He’d been living in foster care after being taken from his biological mother.

According to Braille, Peter and his siblings endured years of neglect and abuse living with their biological mother and her violent boyfriend. “It was physical, emotional and continual,” she says.

Peter, now 14, and his adoptive parents are very close now, but the years since the adoption have been challenging. His father recalls Peter’s unpredictable anger, and the times Peter would punch him, out of the blue. His mother says her son could be very sweet and affectionate one minute, but then “he would just fall apart and start banging his head against the wall or start screaming.”

More of the article here.

Film Suggestions for CASA Volunteers

National CASA asked volunteers and supporters on the National CASA Facebook page to suggest movies and television shows that they found applicable to CASA/GAL advocacy. Over 30 suggestions were given—everything from documentaries about sexual abuse to kid-friendly movies about adoption. We have organized this list and added additional information about each film. Not all films have been viewed by National CASA staff. 

Topics touched on by each film are noted, and links are provided for documentaries and online video. See the list of films.