Maintaining family connections and cultural identity is crucial for children who are being removed from their homes and in need of safe alternative placements. Policies that support kin-first strategies and a society that values kinship families can help reduce...

There are many celebrations occurring throughout the state to appreciate and support kinship families. One such event is being held in Phoenix at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. GreyNickel Inc., an organization that focuses solely on kinship families in the early stages...

Many times kinship families are created during times of trauma. An infant is born substance exposed. Parents are experiencing poverty or are homeless and can’t care for their children. There is domestic violence in the home. When a family member receives the call to...

As an advocate, a CASA gets to know the child’s foster, group or kinship home often referred to as “placement.” Sometimes a CASA finds advocating for the child means being a conduit to help placement find much needed resources. For example, placement might be a...

A ‘Kinship Family’ is a structure where children are raised by non-parental relatives. At times it can include other siblings or cousins that are also being raised by the same kinship caregiver. We have many kinship families in our community. ‘Kinship placement’...

Celebrate the extraordinary impact of kinship and family! September brings us both Grandparents Day and National Kinship Care Awareness Month, A time to honor the incredible grandparents, relatives, and close family friends that step up so that children can avoid...

As summer temperatures rise and in-person training sessions become more challenging, VOICES remains dedicated to providing quality education for CASA volunteers in more accessible formats. This month, we launched our Back-to-School webinar series, covering essential...

It’s Move-in Day at EVIT's New On Campus Housing! Youth who have reached 18 years of age and are transitioning out of foster care struggle to find permanent and affordable housing; studies have found that nearly 33% of these young adults experience homelessness*. In...

Back to school is an important time for youth in foster care and the CASA volunteer. It’s important to help start the new school year with brand new supplies just like everyone else. Thankfully, our VOICES community responds with boxes and boxes filled with quality...

Back-to-school is here! As we go over the checklist of school supplies and things to do, let’s be sure to include a wellness break for ourselves and for our young students. Children have mixed emotions upon entering the classroom. Excitement, apprehension and...