Story of Hope: Janet Penley
October Advocate Impact Story
Written By: Janet's Advocate Supervisor
This case started due to allegations of physical abuse of 2-year-old Joshua. The Department received a referral stating that Joshua had bruising on the left side of his face to his ear. Initially, the family denied that any abuse or neglect had occurred in the home, but then later the mother called CPS and confirmed that her boyfriend had slapped the child. The Department requested that the boyfriend move out of the home, and they started working services without any legal intervention.
Unfortunately, the mother was not able to be protective of Joshua and still allowed her boyfriend around her son, which put him at risk of ongoing physical abuse. Joshua and his baby brother Shawn were ultimately removed from the home and placed in foster care at an emergency shelter.
At the 1st hearing, the Judge granted the removal, but made the unique recommendation that the children be placed with their mother, and that Shawn’s father not be allowed to have unauthorized visits or contact with the children. The Judge was hopeful that with services, the family could be quickly reunified and that the bond with the mother could continue if they were with her. The Judge also requested that a CASA be appointed as soon as possible to ensure that there would be an additional person to check on these kids.
Janet and Stephen Penley were quickly assigned to this case. Janet is a tenured CASA volunteer who had expressed a desire to work more closely with parents on her next case if possible, something this case had. The mother on this case was only 17 and had not had a very stable childhood, and would need all the positive support she could get.
Janet quickly got in contact with the CPS worker and the mother in order to visit the children. She realized that the mother was now living with the paternal grandmother with the children. The grandmother had expressed concerns that the mother would leave with the children for long periods of time, and she wasn’t sure where they were going or what they were doing. There was already concern that the mother was not being protective of the children, and after several attempts to ensure that the children would be safe with the mom, the children were ultimately placed in a foster home.
The boys were initially placed in a foster home together, but it was quickly determined that Joshua needed to be in a foster home where the foster parents could devote all of their attention to him. He was having a lot of behavioral issues and anxiety and the foster parents could not care for both children together. Joshua was moved into a new foster home, and Janet helped with the transition and ensured that play therapy was set up as soon as possible.
As the case continued to progress, the mother was trying to make progress, but found it hard to leave her boyfriend permanently. Janet kept in contact and continued to encourage the mother to work her services and learn from her classes. In the meantime, both boys adjusted to their foster placements, and were doing well. Both sets of foster parents acknowledged the importance of the sibling connection and made time to set up play dates and even would celebrate holidays and go on vacations together. They would even let the boys FaceTime each night to say good night to each other.
Both sets of foster parents acknowledged the importance of the sibling connection and made time to set up play dates and even would celebrate holidays and go on vacations together.
As trial approached, a paternal aunt was identified that wanted to have placement of Shawn only. The Department did a home assessment, and recommended that Shawn should be moved and placed with family. Janet went to visit the aunt and observed multiple visits to ensure that she could make an informed recommendation about whether a placement change would be in the best interest of the children. The parties were not all in agreement about changing placement, so a hearing was set.
Janet was not recommending a change in placement for Shawn. She was called to testify, and she stressed the importance of the sibling bond. She stated that even though the brothers are not placed together, the current foster parents were encouraging that sibling bond. She stated that the visits could probably not continue if the placement changed. She also stressed the fact that Shawn had now been with the foster parents for a year and that he was well bonded and did not really know the aunt even though she was family. Janet was also very concerned about the potential for the paternal side of the family to have ongoing access to the child, like what had happened in the past. After Janet’s testimony, the Judge denied the request to move the child and ordered that Shawn should stay in his current foster home.
[Janet] was called to testify, and she stressed the importance of the sibling bond.
Janet’s testimony was powerful because at this point, she had been on the case the longest since the original CPS worker had resigned, and a new worker had been recently assigned. Janet’s testimony also made an impact because she had visited not only the foster parents, but she had also observed the relative’s home, and visits with the child as well. This was something that the caseworker could not testify to.
The day of trial arrived, the parents on the case were still in a relationship, the father of Shawn was also pending a criminal trial for the injury to Joshua, and the mother was pregnant and had multiple warrants. The parents were not able to take care of their children, so they ended up relinquishing their rights. The current goal is for both boys to be adopted, and Janet will continue to fight for their rights to stay together when that happens.
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In September 2024, the department first became involved with a family of five following allegations of substance abuse and medical neglect concerning the mother. Child Protective Investigations (CPI) initially sought to keep the family together by implementing a safety plan with fictive kin—a family the mother and children had met during their stay at Haven for Hope. The hope was that this new placement would provide stability for the children while keeping them safely with someone familiar. For a few weeks, it seemed to be working. But on October 29, 2024, the mother told the fictive kin she was going to retrieve her remaining belongings from Haven for Hope—and never returned. From November 2024 through February 2025, CPS continued its efforts to locate her while supporting the kinship placement and meeting the children’s needs. In January 2025, the kinship placement informed the department that she could no longer care for the youngest child, Ava, due to her severe behavioral needs. Faced with these challenges, the department made the difficult decision to file for removal to provide more comprehensive support for the children and the kinship caregivers. Ava was quickly placed in a foster home in February 2025, while her three brothers remained with fictive kin. Around this time, CASA Staff Advocate JoAnn Herring was assigned to the case. By April 2025, safety concerns prompted the immediate removal of the boys. They were placed in an emergency shelter while the department and JoAnn worked tirelessly to explore placing them with their sister in her foster home. Caring for four children is a big ask, especially for new foster parents, but with support from JoAnn and the department, the foster family rose to the challenge. By May 2025, all four siblings were finally reunited under one roof—a first major victory for this family. Even with the siblings together, challenges remained. The children had significant medical and educational needs. Michael, who had experienced medical neglect while in his mother’s care, was diagnosed with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, requiring frequent doctor visits, hospital stays, and surgery. During these times, JoAnn visited the hospital regularly, offering support and encouragement to both Michael and his foster parents. JoAnn also worked closely with the department and foster family to ensure the other children—Ava, Mateo, and Leo—received the therapeutic and educational support they needed. Through Collaborative Family Engagement meetings, the team created a comprehensive plan addressing the children’s medical, educational, and therapeutic needs, with the goal of preventing placement disruption and ensuring the foster parents felt supported. Today, all four children are enrolled in school with 504 plans in place, and Michael has access to wrap-around medical services—another major triumph. The foster parents now feel confident in their ability to meet the children’s needs, and if the parents remain disengaged, the case may ultimately move toward termination. While that possibility is heartbreaking, the family has a permanent, loving home ready to care for them. Michael, though still facing significant medical challenges, has a strong team advocating for him every step of the way. This story is still unfolding, but it highlights the power of teamwork, advocacy, and dedication in helping children find stability, care, and hope. It’s a reminder of what can be achieved when community, department staff, and CASA advocates go above and beyond to support children and families in need.
Sol Arena Russo
