Story of Hope: Sarah Evertt

Story of Hope: Sarah Evertt

Advocate Sarah Evertt was assigned a sibling group of 4 in August 2021 after allegations of neglectful supervision due to domestic violence and continued substance dependence by parents. The children were placed with family where they felt safe and wanted to remain at the kinship home.


Sarah maintained weekly phone contact and biweekly home visits with the children and caregiver to ensure all needs were being met including feeling safe. The children's ages were 13,12,10, and 9 all were able to verbalize their desires. The children requested no visits with either parent fearing the abuse cycle would just continue.


Sarah had an amazing impact of amplifying their voices and needs by sharing the children's wants with the CPS caseworker and children's attorney to ensure they felt heard on a monthly basis. In court Sarah shared the desires of the children with the judge through her court report and testimony. Sarah advocated for the children's educational needs by speaking to teachers, securing a tablet for each child and painting art supplies to use for educational purposes.


Sarah also signed them up for several art events to express themselves as this was one of their favorite hobbies they shared as a sibling group. Sarah attended many school events to support her CASA children during her year-long assignment. Sarah was able to secure each child a new twin size bed with bedding to feel safe in their own personal space after finding out the kinship caregivers could use help securing each child a bed with the help of CASA donors. The oldest child requested a bike and Sarah was able to provide him a new bike with the help of CASA donors.


After being assigned to the case for a year, adoption was approved for the 4 children to remain in the kinship home where they are all placed together with an older 16-year-old sibling. Sarah maintained a strong professional relationship with the CPS worker, child's attorney, parents' attorney, medical staff, and school staff to ensure children's needs were kept at the forefront.


Due to the constancy Sarah brought to the family with her open lines of communication the family has asked Sarah to continue to reach out as often as she wants as they consider her a family friend now that the case is successfully closed as of 9/2022. 

By bfines March 21, 2025
 In December 2023, CPS received a Priority One referral regarding a 2-year-old child named Katherine, who had been hospitalized after ingesting narcotics. Her mother, Jessica, admitted to being under the influence of methamphetamines at the time. Katherine later tested positive for amphetamines, prompting the Department to seek removal of both Katherine and her 4-year-old sister, Valerie. Their maternal grandmother expressed willingness to care for them but only if CPS became involved. CASA advocate Alfredo Concha was appointed to the case and immediately took action. He contacted the grandparents and met with the children. During that visit, he learned that while the grandparents were willing to provide temporary care, they could not commit beyond December 2024. They had already adopted the girls' older sibling, which kept them busy, and as elderly caregivers, they felt unable to raise two young children long-term. They made it clear—either Jessica would have to get her life back on track by December, or the girls would need another placement. Understanding the urgency, Alfredo used Collaborative Family Engagement tools to seek additional family members who could offer support. He built a strong working relationship with Jessica, which proved invaluable. Through collaboration with Jessica, the grandparents, CPS, and the children's attorney, Alfredo identified and addressed barriers to reunification. A primary concern was Jessica’s history of substance abuse and the risk of relapse. After completing inpatient drug treatment, Jessica chose to move in with her ex-boyfriend, Robert, and his mother, Marie. Given Robert’s history of substance abuse and their previously volatile relationship, Alfredo recommended that Robert participate in services to strengthen their family dynamic. This included undergoing a substance abuse assessment, engaging in treatment, and completing a domestic violence prevention program. Alfredo also ensured Robert and Marie were included in planning meetings. During one of these meetings, Marie expressed her willingness to take in the children and committed to caring for them regardless of Jessica and Robert’s relationship. With this new support system in place, the girls were able to return to Jessica on December 3, 2024. CPS and Alfredo closely monitored the placement for several weeks to ensure stability. By January 2025, Alfredo recommended case closure, allowing the family to move forward with their lives. During the final hearing, Jessica addressed the court, expressing her gratitude. She stated that without the support of CPS and Alfredo, she would not have been able to succeed.
By bfines March 21, 2025
Larry Rushing
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