IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION recognizing Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for service to abused and neglected children in Jackson County.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 18939, September 21, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Tony Miller, Dan Tarwater III, Crystal Williams, Frank White, Jr., Scott Burnett, Alfred Jordan, Dennis Waits, Greg Grounds and Theresa Galvin, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, Jackson County CASA staff and volunteers serve as advocates for over 1,150 abused and neglected children in our community, working to find each child a safe and permanent home; and,
WHEREAS, last year 100 CASA children were adopted or placed with a permanent guardian, a thirty-seven percent increase over the previous year; and,
WHEREAS, CASA also has aided 114 children in being safely reunited with their biological parents; and,
WHEREAS, through CASA’s efforts, children are usually in the system for less time and are less likely to be re-abused; and,
WHEREAS, CASA’s more than 370 volunteers have contributed over 26,000 hours to support and assist Jackson County’s most vulnerable children; and,
WHEREAS, every child CASA serves is assigned a three-person team made up of a volunteer, a case supervisor, and a staff attorney, to represent the child’s best interests in navigating the child welfare and family court system; and,
WHEREAS, the volunteer works one-on-one to understand the unique and special needs of each child’s family situation; and,
WHEREAS, the supervisor is knowledgeable in the child welfare system and has the ability to access community resources; and,
WHEREAS, the CASA staff attorney is responsible to provide legal representation for each abused or neglected child within the Jackson County Family Court; and,
WHEREAS, for over thirty years Jackson County CASA has played a vital role in ensuring the children of our community have a safe environment in which to live; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature hereby recognizes Jackson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for playing a vital role in assisting abused and neglected children in Jackson County.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________ _________________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 18939 of September 21, 2015, was duly passed on September 21, 2015 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______9__________ Nays ______0_______
Abstaining ______0_______ Absent ______0______
______________________ _____________________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature