Reaching Reunification: Delaney's First Case

“For a lot of my clients, if they had had just one positive adult in their life, the trajectory of their life could have gone a whole different direction.” Delaney Catlettstout is referring to her work as a Missouri State Public Defender, but this also applies to the children she serves as a CASA volunteer.

Delaney heard about CASA’s advocacy while in law school and began volunteer training soon after establishing her career. She shared, “I really wanted to do something that combines all the things I’m passionate about, and CASA is the right place for me.” Delaney was sworn in as a CASA Volunteer and joined the CASA Young Professionals last year.

Delaney’s advocacy in her first case made a tremendous impact, shortening children’s time in foster care and reuniting them with their mother. She was appointed to advocate for three boys, ages 8, 5, and 4, who entered foster care in November of 2023 when they and their mother all tested positive for illegal substances. Their mother was making strides with a treatment plan and seemed on the path to reunification, but when Delaney was assigned the case seven months later, caseworker turnover had caused delays, permanency attempts had stagnated, and the boys were in a foster home culturally different from their own.

Delaney worked to ensure the boys’ mother stayed in touch and involved in their lives. In the fall of 2024, supervised visits with the mother were going well, and she continually tested negative for substances and secured a safe home. Despite her progress, the approval of unsupervised visits was stalled. With the holiday season approaching, Delaney advocated fiercely for a trial home visit, and as a result, the family spent Christmas week together. Kali, Delaney’s Case Advocacy Supervisor, shared, “The trial home visit wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Delaney. She amplified the mother’s voice to the professional team and made it known how well Mom was doing, so she could be with her children.”

As she advocated for permanent reunification for the family, Delaney also worked to make the transition from the foster placement to home as comfortable as possible for the boys. Kali explained, “Due to the cultural differences, there was a high probability of behavioral issues spiking when the boys went home with their mother because it was going to be such a drastic change. Delaney and I had lots of conversations about integrating their mom more into their life while in the foster home, such as letting mom be a part of the bedtime routine by phone, to lessen the culture shock when they go back home.”

Thanks to Delaney’s continued advocacy, the boys began to have regular overnight visits with their mother after the holidays, and in March began a trial home placement. Delaney visited and saw the boys thriving with their mother, who had by then completed her treatment program and met the requirements of the court. At the next court hearing Delaney recommended terminating jurisdiction, which occurred on the spot. The family is together once again and ready to enjoy all the summer has to offer.

Reflecting on the case, Delaney shared, “It was important to continuously present to the court that there were people showing up for these boys, they were loved, they were being taken care of. Their mom was making great strides; she was voicing her desire to be involved and to be a good mom. Over time, she really grew; she just needed to heal herself before she could be there for her children.”  

Delaney’s advocacy in this case had a tremendous impact on the speed of reunification. She has now been appointed as a CASA for a seventeen-year-old girl with limited parental contact. We are incredibly grateful for Delaney’s hard work and dedication to the family in her first case and look forward to seeing her advocacy for this older youth.