Article in The Tennessean
Wrenching Tale of Child Neglect Seeks to Inspire
THE TENNESSEAN . July 15, 2011
Carol Lewis says she will never forget the first time she saw where Sarah, a 14-month-old girl who had fallen victim to severe neglect, had been living.
Lewis, a Williamson County Court-Appointed Special Advocate volunteer, had just been assigned to Sarah’s case. Lewis said she got the case shortly after the baby had been removed from her grandmother’s home by Child Protective Services and placed in foster care.
“One of my first tasks in this case was to make a home visit to the grandmother’s residence,” Lewis said. “I had to knock loudly several times before a disheveled older woman came to the door. As she opened the door and began to speak, it was very obvious to me that she was under the influence of drugs.
“I introduced myself and told her why I was there. She invited me into her small, cramped apartment. I was immediately overwhelmed by the pungent smell of cigarette smoke that filled the home.
“As my eyes adjusted to the heavy fog and intense darkness, I became aware of the dreadful and lonely conditions under which this little girl had been living. Among this dim, filthy apartment was one petite crib placed in the dark kitchen next to a small television set. The grandmother indicated that this was where the child slept. ... This was Sarah’s “room.” I can still recall the deep feeling of sadness I felt for her in that moment.”
Sarah’s foster mother said Sarah could not walk or crawl, and that she made absolutely no sounds and did not know how to play with toys. Astonishingly, she did not even have the aptitude to cry.
“At 14 months, she was unable to eat from a spoon and could only drink from a bottle,” Lewis said. “The coloring of her skin was rather gray and she showed no emotion.”
Plan put in place
Lewis advocated for Sarah for two years. During that time a permanency plan was prepared by the Department of Children’s Services and movement toward reunification with her birth family was planned.
Lewis championed for Sarah in court and made numerous recommendations to the judge as to what was in Sarah’s best interest.
Sarah received speech therapy, physical therapy, feeding therapy and occupational therapy. With the help of her advocate, Children’s Services and her foster parents, it wasn’t long before Sarah began to flourish.
However, it soon became clear that the irregular and deconstructive interactions with her birth family only confused and delayed Sarah’s developmental progress.
After many failed drug screenings and failed attempts at providing stability from her birth family, a termination of parental rights was determined to be in Sarah’s best interest. Soon thereafter, she was adopted by her foster parents.
Cases multiply
Unfortunately, hundreds of children in Williamson County have this story to tell and not all have a happy ending. In Tennessee alone, a child is abused or neglected every 56 minutes.
Court-appointed special advocates help children in this situation every day. Once a child enters the court as a victim of abuse or neglect, CASA becomes the child’s voice. Speaking on their behalf in courtrooms, identifying safe homes for them to live in and listening to their stories, CASA becomes their one constant — a light at the end of a dark, scary tunnel. CASA volunteers are, in essence, a friend and a responsible advocate with the goal of securing a solid home for the child so he or she has a fighting chance to become a fulfilled, happy adult.
Five years ago, Williamson County CASA had nine volunteers who assisted 113 children. Last fiscal year, CASA had 45 active volunteers who worked to serve more than 270 abused and neglected children. That’s a fivefold increase in five years, and the need is still growing.
A recent audit by the U.S. Department of Justice found that children who are paired with CASA volunteers are half as likely to spend time in long-term foster care and four times less likely to re-enter care.
While we consider this our mission as a nonprofit organization, we are dependent upon people for monetary and volunteer support. Helping the helpless is a responsibility we all share — and there are more children waiting.
