My Voice Matters: The Value of Youth Voice in Court

The above is an amazing video, made by so many people willing to reach out and show us just a tidbit of what it is like in the foster care system when decisions about you are being made with out you. Many times a child's opinion is looked down upon just because of the fact that they are a child. When a child is in a foster family, the family does all they can to make sure the child or children have a stable living environment and all their needs are being taken care of but the family cannot do much in court to advocate on the behalf of their child. This is where CASA steps in. A CASA worker assigned to the child's case can make such a difference in the outcome of the situation. CASA works on behalf of the child, to make sure their voice is going to be heard in court. I have had first hand experience listening to children even under the age of five who have an opinion on what they think about their current situation. When has it even been okay to take someone's voice away especially that of a child, when their main way of navigating the world is through asking questions? I am so thankful for all the CASA workers who made it possible for our kids to have a voice in court, without representation we are taking away the voice to the people we are trying to make decisions for. A voice for the voiceless is just a piece of the puzzle that CASA plays in the picture of finding a child a forever home.
Stay tuned in the next up coming weeks for more stories of hope and inspiration brought to you by The Precious Gift 13 team!


-Kimberly