Vigilant Voices™ hosted by Jeannine Panzera and Kristin Blalock from Henrico CASA

May is National Foster Care Month.... and while becoming a foster parent may not be right for all of us, it could be right for some of us. So today we are talking through the perceived barriers to becoming a foster parent. ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special Advocates, we’ve learned that it’s important to KNOW about the challenges facing children and families to ensure NO child faces abus...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome Elizabeth Scholla, the Division Manager for Prevention and Protection at Henrico’s Child Protective Services . We hope our guest episodes help you feel connected to a community of people who, like you, have a heart for supporting children. ***** In our work as Court Appointed Sp...

Neglect, in it's simplest definition, is a failure to provide for a child's basic needs... and the majority of the cases that Henrico CASA is appointed to involve child neglect. Join us to learn more about the signs of neglect and strategies for prevention. Click to access the prevention strategies that we reference, as published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ***** In...

In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, we are walking through history to better understand how we got to where we are today in terms of child welfare policies and practices. Learn more in our April blog posts at www. HenricoCASA.org/blog/ . ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special Advocates, we’ve learned that it’s important to KNOW about the challenges facing children and families to...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome Anna Shenk , Co-Director of For Richmond . ⁠⁠⁠ For Richmond helps unite churches and communities behind issues that are larger than any one organization can tackle…. They cultivate the space and focus for individuals to have greater impact through unity of vision and resources....

There is a long list of risk factors that can increase the likelihood of abuse and neglect... but there are also protective factors that decrease the probability of abuse or neglect. Learn the FIVE protective factors that you can help incorporate into families' lives. For reference, Visual aid for today's episode CDC's Prevention Strategies ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special...

Cinderella was the lone recipient of her stepmother's abuse... as are "target children" in real life stories. If you see signs of abuse, neglect, or trauma in one child, but not their siblings, don't talk yourself out of reporting the abuse. There most definitely could be something going on in that home. In today's episode we reference this Psychology Today article about scap...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome Valerie L'Herrou⁠ , Deputy Director of the Center for Family Advocacy at the Virginia Poverty Law Center . ⁠ Valerie is passionate about resourcing families so that they can stay together, with their children, when it is safe to do so. She joins us to talk about her work wit...

Prolonged stress with no release impacts a child’s developing body and mind... so much so that it hinders important neurological connections from forming. And living with racism or facing injustice is a significant stressor. So connecting the dots, racism is a form of trauma that negatively impacts child development. See the science behind this connection at Harvard University's Center for the...

Children are equipped to handle healthy doses of stress, but chronic, ongoing stress has a wear and tear effect on their developing bodies and brains. For children dealing with toxic stress, the one true stress buster is the presence of a stable adult in their life. Explore this topic more with these resources: Stress effects on the body (apa.org) Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development You could...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome Allison Gilbreath , Sr. Director of Policy and Programs at Voices for Virginia's Children. Allison leads the organization’s child welfare policy work as well as the implementation of advocacy programs, elevating policy conversations across all policy areas. We specifically a...

Children and their families feel the effects of high level legislation every day... even if they don't realize it! Join us as we walk through the high level systems and policies that impact the well-being of children. You can influence the legislative process! Take a first step, today, by signing up for Virginia Voices for Kids' email updates regarding their advocacy work with the General...

Happy New Year! Before looking ahead to 2024, we pause to reflect on the vision, mission and values that we are carrying into the new year. What do you value? What is most important to you? What impact do you want to have on the well-being of children this year? Great things to come in 2024! ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special Advocates, we’ve learned that it’s important to KNOW about the...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome  Eric Reynolds ⁠. As the first ever Director of Virginia's Office of the Children's Ombudsman , he has a voice at not only the local level, but the state level, as well. An 'ombudsman' is an official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against maladm...

Whether the holidays are a cheerful or challenging time, they are almost always full of big emotions! This is especially true for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Joins us as we answer the questions: - Why are the holidays difficult for vulnerable youth? - How can we best support them through the holidays? ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special Advocates, we’ve learned that it...

It takes a village. EVERYONE can play a part… individuals like coaches, neighbors, police officers, and healthcare providers... AND organizations such as schools, churches, and businesses! In this episode, we reference a few points of inspiration to remind you that YOU are part of "the village"! Check out this visual from the PACEs Connection of everyone who can make a difference in a ch...

Knowing what a child needs to heal often requires that we look behind their behaviors to see their underlying needs... Needs that must be addressed in order to move forward in a healthy way. Join us in talking through the question: ‘what is this behavior telling me?’ Thank you to Georgetown University’s Center for Child Development and Health for publishing their tutorial on Trauma Signs and Sympt...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome  Denise Purgold , a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Adoption Supervisor at UMFS . The services that Denise offers, including parent coaching, are available to families for FREE thanks to state funded Regional Post Adoption Consortium Services . Click to learn more at or...

Every child responds to trauma differently. How can we help them bounce back or, even better, bounce forward? Join us as we discuss resilience, the ability to overcome or lessen the negative impact of trauma. Today's episode references the following two articles related to resilience: What is Resilience and Why is It Important to Bounce Back? (positivepsychology.com) Bouncing Forward After Adv...

Sometimes children are removed from their home because sadly, it just isn’t safe for them to remain there with their family of origin. Ideally, these children aren't placed with strangers, but instead with relatives or people that they already know. In this episode, we explore the benefits of kinship care placements. Learn more about kinship care and how we can support these families in Henric...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children. Today, we welcome John Richardson-Lauve , a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Trauma-Informed Care Specialist, and the current Director of Outreach at St. Joseph's Villa. Learn more about the brain science related to trauma in John's series of video shorts that he created when he served as...

Preventing child abuse could be as simple as preventing unhealthy responses to stress.  Often, there is a stressor that is an underlying cause of abuse or neglect. When we find ways to prevent that stressor or help someone cope with it, we can in essence stop abuse before it even starts. The stress busters shared in this episode originate in the PACEs Connection Stress Busters Handout, found here...

Children have needs that must be met before they can engage in learning.  These needs (physiological, safety, and belonging) are the foundation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Click here for a helpful visual while you listen to this episode. ***** In our work as Court Appointed Special Advocates, we’ve learned that it’s important to KNOW about the challenges facing children and families to ens...

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children.  Today, we welcome Abbey Philips . Abbey has more than ten years of experience in advocacy work: professionally on a policy level, and personally on an individual level as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. You'll hear about Abbey's passion for advocacy in today's episode, but you can...

Any and all resources are useful in our attempt to KNOW about the challenges facing children and families, in order to ensure NO child continues to face abuse, neglect, or trauma. Even fiction books can leave us with lessons learned that apply to helping vulnerable children. We hope you enjoy our two recommended novels: Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris Look for Me by Lisa Gardner You can find ad...