by CASA of Los Angeles | Dec 1, 2015 | Stories
When Linda Mokler was assigned as the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for two girls in foster care about six months ago, she had one urgent mandate: to find out why they weren’t getting the speech therapy they needed. The court had ordered it for them months...
by a1l2f3i4a5n | Sep 2, 2015 | Stories
At first, he wouldn’t talk to her. He might nod or shake his head, but he used no words. So it was a measure of the relationship they had built when, after several months of weekly visits, twelve-year-old Jack finally started to talk to his Court Appointed Special...
by a1l2f3i4a5n | Aug 4, 2015 | Stories
On a morning last August, two cars pulled up in front of Thomas Green’s home, in Watts. They were there to pick up Thomas and his three grandchildren for a meeting at the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The meeting was ostensibly to...
by a1l2f3i4a5n | Jul 2, 2015 | Stories
It was about a year ago. Sarah, then 10, was at home with her mother, Rachel, when she took a terrible fall, hitting her head and gashing her eyebrow. Stunned but aware she was injured, she walked to a neighbor’s house and rapped on the door. “I’m hurt,” she said. “My...
by a1l2f3i4a5n | Jun 13, 2015 | Stories
It’s been about six years since child welfare authorities were tipped off to trouble in the home of then-seven-year-old James, near Downtown Los Angeles. James’ mother had become chronically ill and delegated his care to his older brother, who was also a minor. The...
by a1l2f3i4a5n | Apr 21, 2015 | Stories
As CASA stories go, this is a simple one. It involves no custody battles, mistaken identities, or disagreements among stakeholders. But it’s an important story—even an archetypal one—because it exemplifies the most crucial role of a Court Appointed Special Advocate...