Our effective, compassionate advocacy helps reunify families and reduce the number of children in foster care. Every day, judges, child welfare professionals and caregivers make decisions that affect children who, through no fault of their own, were removed from the care of their parents and brought into state custody. Children enter care after having endured trauma at the hands of those responsib
le for their protection. If children’s needs are not met while in foster care, they will be at a higher risk of a future plagued by challenges, including low graduation rates, teen pregnancy, incarceration, homelessness and unemployment. These children, who have the most to gain or lose, have the least power in the decisions made by the court and the professionals who are responsible for their well-being. Voices child advocates are the only people whose sole focus is the best interests of the child. Our advocates give our children a powerful voice in decisions about where they will live and go to school, whether and how often they can spend time with siblings and other relatives, how long they will be in state custody and where they go when they leave foster care. We serve children from birth to age 21 in St. More than 80% of the children assigned to Voices are African American and nearly all come from families struggling with poverty. The children we serve have experienced multiple traumas including physical and sexual abuse and extreme medical, physical and/or educational neglect. As many as 40% have chronic health problems like asthma and diabetes, approximately 50% have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder and 60% have developmental delays or disabilities.
