My latest editorial written for local media.

1. Children in crisis Anna's story illustrates kinship-care realities | Ocala.com
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OTHER VOICES
Other Voices: Children in crisis
Anna's story illustrates kinship-care realities
By Melissa Casto
Special to the Star-Banner
Published: Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Are you or someone you know raising a relative
child? In the United States approximately 6.7
million children live with grandparents and
other relative caregivers. Nearly 14,000
children live with relatives in the five-county
area served by Kids Central Inc. which includes
Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter
counties. In Marion County, there are an Courtesy of Kids Central Inc.
estimated 5,200 children being raised by Ashton Bordges, 3, has lived with his
relatives. These relatives, many of whom are maternal grandmother, Lori Moore,
since birth. She gained custody of him
grandparents, struggle with overwhelming
when he was 1.
issues that can seem insurmountable.
In the past, case management and referral services were available only to the
caregivers of children in the formal child welfare system (approximately 1,000
children) until Kids Central created the Kinship Care Program.
Kids Central convened a Kinship Care workgroup of various community providers
and stakeholders to identify services and service gaps for relative (kinship)
caregivers. In response to the identified needs, a multitude of prevention services
are now available to kinship families in all five counties.
Many relative caregiver families have walked through the doors of Kids Central,
desperate for help and a shoulder to lean on. Anna's story is one of many stories
that Kids Central proudly share with our communities and other relative caregivers.
Here's Anna's story:
Anna is a vibrant, red-haired 9-year-old who loves Hannah Montana and playing
with her friends. Her freckled face and beautiful smile light up the room when she
walks through the door. Anna loves to hug others and is very quick to spot another
child to go and hang out with.
To look at Anna now, you would never know that she has suffered tremendously at
the hands of the very person who gave her life and was supposed to protect her
from harm. Anna now is stable, secure and happy, thanks to the dedication and the
sacrifice of her grandmother.
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2. Children in crisis Anna's story illustrates kinship-care realities | Ocala.com
Anna was placed with her grandmother in 2002. She had suffered abuse and
neglect at the hands of her parents. Anna was seen as an inconvenience to her
biological mother and was left in the parking lot of a shopping center for someone
to find. Many times, due to substance abuse issues, Anna's mother found herself
unable and unfit to parent this precious little girl. She was left numerous times with
strangers, exposed to illegal substances and sexually abused at 18 months.
Anna's grandmother struggled for many years with accepting her newfound role as
a parent a second time around. She felt isolated, betrayed, guilty and ashamed. She
felt like she was all alone in her situation. She didn't know where to turn for help,
or even if help was available to her. Many sleepless nights were spent as Anna's
grandmother worried about the added financial expenses and issues with this child.
In July of 2008, Anna's grandmother was referred to the Kinship Care Program
through the Marion County Pubic Schools' Social Work Department. She had gone
to the school as a last resort, despondent and trying to find some assistance to help
her with Anna and other issues she was facing. She had fallen behind on her bills,
was suffering from isolation and grieving for the daughter that she felt like she had
lost to drugs and alcohol.
This pair was not only struggling financially, but there were other painful issues
that this grandmother needed to address. Anna was showing signs of depression
and reverting to inappropriate behaviors to try and cope with the dysfunction and
abuse that she had suffered. She also was struggling in school, and Anna's
grandmother needed to link her with some educational assistance because the child
was not reading yet at 7 years of age and in the third grade.
The Kinship Care Program discovered that Anna needed some additional help to
heal her emotional scars and wounds. Services were then put into place to help
maintain and strengthen this family unit.
Academically, Anna's world changed drastically. With an IEP (Individual
Educational Plan) in place, additional assistance and placement in an ESE
(Exceptional Student Education) classroom, Anna is now able to read and write on
grade level.
Today, this family of two rejoices at the tremendous change that has taken place in
their lives, and Anna's grandmother has started to give back to other relative
caregivers in many ways. She attends the support groups and offers advice to
others; she also takes it upon herself to provide respite care for many other
struggling kinship caregivers in the group.
This is just one of many stories that the Kinship staff is faced with every day. A
referral to the Kinship Care Program can change lives and impact the future of a
relative caregiver family. To refer a relative caregiver to the program, call Michelle
Mongeluzzo at 873-6332.
To celebrate and educate our community and relative caregivers, Kids Central, Inc.
will be hosting the 4th Annual Kinship Care Conference Sept. 17 and 18 at The Klein
Center at College of Central Florida in Ocala. Sept. 17 is professional day, and Sept.
18 is relative caregiver day and is free to all relative caregivers. Register online at
http://www.KidsCentralinc.org, or contact Nicole Bennett at 387-3549 or by e-mail
at Nicole.Bennett@KidsCentralinc.org.
Melissa Casto is a Kinship Care Program case manager for Kids Central, Inc. in
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3. Children in crisis Anna's story illustrates kinship-care realities | Ocala.com
Ocala. E-mail her at Melissa.Casto@kidscentralinc.org.
Copyright © 2010 Ocala.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only.
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