Ginny*

     Ginny was removed from her home at age 15 due to being sexually abused by her father; her mother stayed with the father, so Ginny and her brother and sister were not able to remain in the home. A CASA volunteer was assigned to the case shortly after Ginny and her siblings were first placed together with family friends. Although, it was court ordered that the children could not have contact with the father, through the CASA volunteer’s weekly visits with Ginny, it was found that the family was allowing visits with the father to occur. The family friends felt uncomfortable caring for the children given the court orders and the three teenaged children were unhappy in this home and ended up running away having no where to go.

     The children were then placed in foster care. Ginny and her sister were placed together in a foster home, 45 minutes outside of Mercer County, and her brother was placed in another home. Ginny and her sister were separated from her brother, parents, and all extended family and friends.  They had to get used to a new school and try to make new friends.  Meanwhile, no counseling was being provided for the sexual abuse or separation from her family.  The foster mother was extremely strict and limited food and any recreational activities.  Ginny was quieter than her sister, and since her sister was more vocal about her unhappiness with her placement, the foster mom asked that her sister be removed from her home claiming that the child was “acting out”.  Several weeks later, Ginny reported to the CASA volunteer that she was being left alone by the caretaker and there was no food in the house.  The CASA volunteer immediately informed the DYFS caseworker who arranged to have the child removed from the home within 24 hour and placed in a temporary shelter.

     At the time of this removal, it was winter and Ginny had no winter coat, CASA  informed DYFS  but the advocate was told that the clothing allowance money would take at least a month to  process, which was a long time to wait given Ginny had to walk back and forth to school.  The advocate accessed resources at the United Way of Greater Mercer County who was able to provide Ginny with a new coat within several days.

     Ginny was placed in several other short term placements with relatives who were subsequently determined unable to appropriately care for her. Last year at age 17, Ginny began to thrive in a very supportive foster home. The CASA volunteer advocated for Ginny to have regular visits with her siblings, mother and extended family. Through the advocate’s efforts, Ginny was provided with consistent regular counseling.  When Ginny’s placement stabilized, academic problems became more apparent which were exacerbated due to being placed in several different schools in a year from her past multiple placements.  The CASA volunteer arranged for Ginny to have an educational assessment done and it was found that she had learning disabilities.  After the CASA volunteer advocated for special education classes, Ginny began to get all “A’s and Bs:, she graduated from school this year and through the help of  the advocate  she  has applied and been accepted to a local community college which she will begin this Fall.    

*All of the names have been changed to protect the child’s identity, however this is based on a true story.