CASA Day celebrates volunteers at Statehouse
Court-appointed special advocates directors and volunteers from across the state traveled to the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday to celebrate the second CASA Day since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Court-appointed special advocates directors and volunteers from across the state traveled to the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday to celebrate the second CASA Day since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cindy Booth, the longtime leader of Child Advocates Inc., will retire next year after 30 years with the nonprofit.
A sea of blue filled the second-floor atrium of the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday afternoon as court-appointed special advocates gathered for their CASA Day celebration.
The annual celebration of and advocacy for court appointed special advocates at the Indiana Statehouse is scheduled for next month.
Kids’ Voice has met the requirements and has been certified as a GAL/CASA service provider by the state, allowing the city of Indianapolis to be partially reimbursed for the nearly three-year $5.4 million contract it awarded the nonprofit in May.
What began as a conversation 18 months ago culminated in May with the merger of the guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocates programs in Allen County, bringing together attorneys and volunteers to serve the abused and neglected children who are involved with the court system.
Kids’ Voice of Indiana has signed a contract with the city of Indianapolis to provide guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate services to Marion Superior Courts through the end of 2023, with the nonprofit set to receive $5.4 million for the remainder of 2021.
Like a couple deciding not to marry, Kids’ Voice of Indiana and Child Advocates were unable to work out a prenuptial agreement after weeks of negotiations and are now focused on who will take care of the children.
Kids’ Voice of Indiana will be the sole operator of the guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs for Marion County juvenile courts after Child Advocates, which had provided those services for decades, rejected the subcontract agreement the two organizations had been negotiating.
Kids’ Voice of Indiana and Child Advocates are close to inking a deal after the city of Indianapolis announced it would be switching providers of the Guardian Ad Litem and CASA services for the Marion County juvenile court May 1.
Two Indianapolis nonprofits that serve youngsters in the child welfare system, Child Advocates and Kids’ Voice of Indiana, have been at the center of an argument that many families have had: Who can better care for the youngest members?
With just three weeks before its contract with the city of Indianapolis ends, Child Advocates is trying to negotiate a subcontract with Kids’ Voice so it can continue providing volunteers and staff to advocate for youngsters in Indiana’s child welfare system. Meanwhile, a report questioned longtime contractor Child Advocates’ cost overruns.
Child Advocates is asking the city of Indianapolis to delay plans to switch CASA providers until the end of year, citing questions about the transition, the ability of Kids’ Voice to handle the work and concerns over the risk to children.
Kids’ Voice of Indiana, a nonprofit serving children and families, will take over the training and operation of the court-appointed special advocate program in Marion County courts May 1 after the city of Indianapolis switched the contract for the services from Child Advocates.
The Indiana Supreme Court has approved amendments to the state’s public access rules to protect certain sensitive records from public view.
The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission has named three magistrate judges as finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Lake County Superior Court bench.
A Delaware County mother could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Wednesday that a trial court erred in terminating her parental rights to her minor child with special needs. The appellate court found the termination was in the child’s best interest.
Indiana families celebrating the adoption of a new child into their families will now be able to capture the moments of that union in court via camera, no matter what time of year it is.
Compassion. Persistence. Patience. These are shared qualities that Indiana’s court appointed special advocates have when working with thousands of Hoosier kids in the child welfare system each year. Indiana Lawyer spoke with a few of those advocates about their personal experiences as CASAs following a 30th anniversary celebration of the Indiana Office of GAL/CASA on March 4.
Hundreds of CASA volunteers formed a wave of blue at the Indiana Statehouse on Wednesday in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Indiana State Office of GAL/CASA.