COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A child advocacy group in Idaho is sounding the alarm about child abuse and neglect in the community.
“Children are being left in their homes, and the severity of the neglect and abuse is rising,” said Kirstin Linville Ludwig, Director of Development for North Idaho North Idaho Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
The organization represents kids in the foster care system. Over the last six months, it has seen a concerning shift – they cannot intervene soon enough.
“In some cases, we are not getting involved until the kids are literally showing up at Sacred Heart Hospital because of the severity of their injuries,” Ludwig said.
While CASA is seeing danger go up, fewer Idaho kids are entering the foster care system. Recent data shows roughly 300 fewer kids have been put in foster care in the last four months, but this doesn’t mean kids aren’t being abused or neglected.
“The current legislation is preventing law enforcement from doing their jobs. It is a very scary situation,” Ludwig said. “In the last six months, some of these aggravated cases that have come to our attention very late in the game, we haven’t had these things in decades.”
Summer can be a difficult time for kids in abusive homes when they’re away from school oversight.
“Summertime is a hard time for these kids because school is a place where they know they have food. They have teachers and counselors who have eyes on them,” Ludwig said.
North Idaho CASA hopes legislation will change again and give law enforcement the ability to get involved sooner and keep kids safe. The CASA volunteers are ready for when that happens.
CASA volunteers do more than represent children in court. Once assigned a case, they can help provide clothing and necessities for children.
“We have found that the earlier we have intervention with that trauma and that abuse, the better off the kids are to heal,” Ludwig said.
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