{"id":44703,"date":"2026-03-24T10:12:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T15:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/?p=44703"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:09:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T18:09:58","slug":"local-program-spotlight-amarillo-area-casa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/2026\/03\/24\/local-program-spotlight-amarillo-area-casa\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Program Spotlight: Amarillo Area CASA"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id44703_ec348a-92 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column44703_4dbfb1-e9\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_ce9a82-fa\">What began as a custody case in California took an unexpected turn when a father and his young son relocated to Texas. Struggling with homelessness and substance use, the father soon faced criminal charges, and the child was removed from his care. With the father eventually incarcerated, attention shifted to the child\u2019s biological mother, who still lived in California.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, calc(50% - ((var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem) * 1 )\/2)))minmax(0, calc(50% - ((var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem) * 1 )\/2)));}.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 2fr) minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id44703_363326-9c alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-left-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column44703_302564-8c{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column44703_302564-8c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column44703_302564-8c\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_fdbfe4-7f\">Although she was the non-offending parent, the Texas Community-Based Care agency responsible for the child insisted on completing an Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, which includes an evaluation of the home and a legally binding agreement to ensure child safety and compliance with state regulations. While this important but lengthy process dragged on, the mother and child maintained virtual visits, trying to stay connected across state lines.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column44703_b2695e-fa\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image44703_2182bb-61 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image44703_2182bb-61 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"mother hugging young boy child kissing on cheek\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-44704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-228x228.png 228w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading44703_f9415a-6b\">Complications grew when the child\u2019s stepmother \u2014 who was caring for the child during the case \u2014 circulated rumors about the mother. The ad litem and caseworker began to question the mother\u2019s fitness, even though California declined to share details of her home study or Child Protective Services history. Without cooperation between states, the path to reunification became longer and more tangled.<br><br>During this time, <a href=\"https:\/\/pleasebeacasa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amarillo Area CASA<\/a> continued working with the mother and made a consistent effort to get to know her. Determined to prove her stability and readiness, the mother invited CASA into her home for a full review. Accepting this invitation, CASA traveled to California, prepared a detailed list of questions, and spent four to five hours with the mother, walking through her home, reviewing her situation, and documenting everything with photos.<br><br>A week later, CASA presented their findings in court \u2014 clear, thorough, and supportive of the mother\u2019s ability to safely parent her child. With that evidence, the judge approved reunification, and the child was finally returned to his mother\u2019s care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Ready to become a voice for a child in foster care and help ensure they&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;fall through the cracks? <a href=\"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/become-a-casa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Become a CASA today<\/a>. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What began as a custody case in California took an unexpected turn when a father and his young son relocated to Texas. Struggling with homelessness and substance use, the father [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":44704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_gspb_post_css":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89,91],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-44703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casa-voice","category-news-updates"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":89,"label":"The CASA Voice"},{"value":91,"label":"News &amp; Updates"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Newsletter-Graphics-96-1024x1024.png",1024,1024,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Kelly Clarke","author_link":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/author\/kclarke\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":89,"name":"The CASA Voice","slug":"casa-voice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":89,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":126,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":89,"category_count":126,"category_description":"","cat_name":"The CASA Voice","category_nicename":"casa-voice","category_parent":0},{"term_id":91,"name":"News &amp; Updates","slug":"news-updates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":91,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":36,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":91,"category_count":36,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News &amp; Updates","category_nicename":"news-updates","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44703"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=44703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wordpress","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}