CASA Delaware Live!

Mayda Berrios entered foster care in her mid-teens as a result of a challenging relationship with her biological mother. From day one, Mayda was a strong self-advocate. She stayed in foster care until the age of 18 when she graduated high school and headed off to Delaware State University where she is currently a Junior. She took advantage of Independent Living Services and was able to seek severa...

In Episode #38, we take a moment to chat with State Director Melissa Palokas. Missy chats with us about the current state of the CASA Program including our current recruitment efforts and the need for more CASA volunteers. Currently, only about half of children in foster care have a CASA volunteer. All children experiencing foster care have an attorney, but only half have the additional support of...

In Episode #37, we interview 6 amazing advocates in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month. We start off with Prevent Child Abuse Delaware's Director Kellie Turner along with her colleague Tricia Ewing, the Director of Advancement. Tricia also recently became a CASA Volunteer!   We have Sharon Fallen - Family Crisis Therapist, who works in the Little Kid Treatment unit, her role is case planni...

In Episode #36, we interview Michelle Darling of the Youth Rehabilitative Services ("YRS") which is a sister agency to the Division of Family Services ("DFS"). In our chat with Michelle, we learn how YRS operates, how they offer services to the children they serve, and how they partner with other state agency. Michelle helps understand the purpose of YRS and how clients are ref...

In Episode #35, we chat with attorney Alex Corbin. Alex walks us through some of the early processes the Department of Education took in order to respond to the pandemic in Spring 2020. He discusses what some of these adjustments were as well as how they affected students, especially those who use special education services as well as children in the custody of Division of Family Services. Alex di...

In Episode #34, we honor retiring CASA Coordinator Jacqueline Kemp. Jacqui is retiring after 18 years in the child welfare arena having spent the last few years with the CASA Program. In our chat with Jacqui, she discusses how the child welfare sector has changed over the past two decades and what life was like growing up with a father as a traveling doctor. She discusses how these experiences hel...

In Episode #33, we have the privilege of interviewing Chief Judge Michael Newell.  During our chat, the Chief Judge discusses fascinating history within Family Court as well as his own personal path to the bench. The Chief Judge also discusses some of his initiatives leading the Family Court as well as what he hopes to undertake in 2021 including celebrating 50 years of Delaware's Family Cour...

In Episode #32, we chat with Division of Family Services Treatment Worker Shanna Ruello. She speaks to us about  what brought into child welfare in the late 1990s and what has kept her here. She discusses how she aquaints herself with a new case, how she introduces and works with a family to reunify, and how she prefers to interact with a CASA Volunteer. She shares some great insight on how CASA v...

In Episode #31, we interview Kelly Ensslin, Esq. and Megan Caudell of the Office of the Child Advocate. Together, they discuss the steps that go into assigning a dependency/neglect petition. They chat about doing a conflict check, clarifying any historical involvement and finally how a decision is made about who should take a case: an attorney only or an attorney plus a CASA. Currently, only half...

In Episode #30, we recap 2020 training statistics for kids in care as well as CASAs and training. In 2020, we trained and swore in 60 new CASA volunteers statewide! We had a total of 6 groups come through. The first group was able to train in person while the second through the sixth group were trained virtually. We also launched the Peer Mentor program where experienced CASA Volunteers are matche...

In Episode #29, we chat with Sue Murray, Deputy Director of the Division of Family Services. Sue has been with DFS for 25 years and now mostly manages the operational side of the division. She has a wealth of knowledge on child welfare and we focus our chat on specific initiatives the DFS has been working on over the past few years. From 2013-2016, DFS underwent a process called "Outcomes Mat...

In Episode #28, we interview Diane Klecan, Director of Client Services for the Children's Advocacy Center in Delaware, known as the CAC. Diane has been in child welfare for over 20 years, most of which has been spent at the CAC. Diane describes the interview protocol that forensic interviewers use when working with a child to determine if physical or sexual abuse occurred. She explains the Mu...

In Episode #27, we chat with Kent County Family Court Judge Louann Vari. She comes to the bench with a wealth of knowledge in child welfare including her work at the Attorney Generals office and time spent as a Commissioner. She has been on the bench for 4 years now. She walks us through her early legal career and then dives deeper into her joys on the bench as well as some of the challenges. She...

In Episode #26, we interview Theresa Broome and Kim Sabanayagam from Children and Families First. Theresa is the Program Manager of several programs at Children and Families First while Kim is a Case Manger, working directly with families to provide services. For the purpose of today's podcast, we really focused on Family Search and Engagement, a program supported by Children and Families Fir...

In Episode #25, we chat with Sussex CASA Carole Cotman who details her DFS case while highlighting not only her own advocacy skills, but also the manner in which to agree to disagree. Carole chats about her case which involved 4 generations of one family. She visited various foster homes numerous times as well as the homes of family members. Carole used her professional background as an educator t...

In Episode #24, we interview attorney Jae Eberly who is the attorney for the Division of Family Services. As an attorney for DFS, he is known as a DAG (Deputy Attorney General). He shares his experience with us as an attorney for the state for nearly 20 years. He is now based in Kent County and he shares some great insights on how CASA volunteers can best assist the child welfare process. The numb...

In Episode #23, we chat with Christine Jones-Bey Brown, Independent Living Provider Director at People's Place. Christina has been working with youth in foster care for over 16 years! She has a wealth of knowledge in the subject and has worked with countless youth as they age out of the child welfare system and enter into adulthood. Now, Christina oversees case managers who provide direct Ind...

In Episode #22, we chat with Rosie Morales who works within the Office of the Child Advocate to oversee the CAN Panel and CPAC. The CAN Panel is the Child Abuse & Neglect Panel. They are a group of child welfare professionals that meet monthly to review cases involving child death or near death situations. They help form policy and make system changes to better protect Delaware's children...

In Episode #21, we interview Lois Glenn-Carter, a CASA volunteer with her own experience as a youth in foster care. At the age of 9, Lois entered foster care with her siblings due to her mother's suffering from substance abuse. The following day, her mother was murdered and for the next decade, Lois and her younger brother spent their remaining childhood years in foster care. Lois speaks abou...

In Episode #20, we interview Kristin Collison, a parent attorney in Kent County. Kristen discusses how she approaches a new case with a parent client, how she communicates with him/her and how she advocates for her clients. She provides a different perspective and point of view as we work through the reunification process. She speak to the mode of communication, the process of preparing for a cour...

In Episode #19, we interview CASA Susana Betancourt who became a CASA in early 2020. English is not her native language; Spanish is. She was able to use her skills to facilitate discussions with the CASA case she first received. The case involved a Spanish-speaking family and Susana was able to use her language skills to help translate and support the service providers in offering services to the...

In Episode #18, we chat with Jonathan Harting, a DFS Attorney, otherwise known as a Deputy Attorney General. Jonathan is based in New Castle County and represents the Division in Family Court proceedings. He has been with DFS for a few years as a DAG and during our chat with him, he explains what he feels are the high points and low points of his job. Every DFS division in each county is represent...

In this episode, we sit down to speak with Executive Director of the Community Inspired Actions non-profit organization located in Sussex County, Mrs. Ketanya Moore. She joins us to tell us about her non-profit organization that emphasizes community partnerships to assist those in need. She is a mother of four and is currently serving as a foster mother to a young 2-year old as well. Mrs. Moore st...

In Episode #16, we sit down with CASA Coordinator and Director of Volunteer Recruitment LaTysse McKinzie-Mack. She has a wealth of knowledge in the child welfare and shares her experiences now as the CASA Director of Volunteer Recruitment. Prior to COVID-19, LaTysse had a robust plan to recruit CASA volunteers, including the 3 Ms: Males, Minorities, and Millennials. But....COVID had another plan s...

In Episode #15, we interview Jennifer Glanden, the Permanency Unit Supervisor for the Division of Family Services in Kent County. Jennifer outlines what the Permanency Unit does, how a case gets to them and how they work achieving permanency for the youth in the custody of DFS. Jennifer brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience and shares from the heart about what it's like to be a...