Child Advocates, Inc.

We are child advocates. We serve children across Indiana who have faced abuse or neglect in their homes. 👉Some of our work is centered on helping children find safe and secure homes and preventing disturbing statistics like the ones which the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) released earlier this year: 🔷DCS reported that 61 Indiana children died from abuse or neglect in its latest statewide statistics: https://ow.ly/3fPh50SxVcf Join us in fighting for justice, equity, and well-being for children. Speak up for a hurting child. If you suspect a child is facing abuse or neglect, you can report it anonymously. Call the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. You may help save a child's life. #preventchildabuse #neglect #children #justice #equity #wellbeing #childadvocacy

Happy Fourth of July! This day commemorates the birth of the United States as an independent nation. We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends. Whether you are watching the fireworks, cooking out, or hosting a special event, the holidays always create memories for your children that they will never forget. May you have a safe and joyful Independence Day! 🎇✨ #FourthofJuly #holiday #family #friends #children #childadvocacy

Child Advocates' attorneys were out in the community, recently, sharing their expertise in child welfare at the Bench Bar conference in French Lick. Rachel Vilensky, director of our Direct Representation program, and Andrea Marsh, an attorney in the program, joined hundreds of attorneys and judicial officers for the CLE (continuing legal education) event. Rachel and Andrea also led a presentation about our groundbreaking role as the only organization in Indiana that offers free counsel for older children in the child welfare system. 🎯Our attorneys stand up for children's rights in court and represent what they want for their future. 👉Indiana is one of six states in the U.S. that does not guarantee a right to counsel for children. 💡And the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at Notre Dame (LEO) chose our program as a cohort to conduct the first, ever randomized controlled trial in the nation to study the impact of attorneys for foster children. The research is underway. Our Direct Representation program has served nearly four hundred children across Indiana since it was launched in 2021. Learn more about the program here: https://ow.ly/2pou50StNBW #counselforchildren #counsel #attorneys #legalservices #justice #equity #wellbeing #children #childadvocacy

Does your business uphold and advocate for what you believe in? If so, perhaps you can identify and support the organizations or events that align with your values. That's why Child Advocates and some of our staff participated in the Juneteenth parade in downtown Indianapolis this past Saturday. 🎯As child welfare experts, our mission is to advocate for justice, equity, and well-being for children, and that includes *every* child. 🎯 We also host "Interrupting Racism for Children" workshops for anyone in the community because we want to help build a future in which a child's race does not predict their life outcomes. We applaud some of the young people from our youth group, YARI (Youth Against Racial Injustice), who joined us in the parade. Teamwork and community engagement are not only beautiful to witness, but they can also build stronger bonds and pride among employees. And we believe in and support the diversity and uniqueness of every child. What mission drives you? #Business #Mission #Values #Juneteenth #diversity #equity #inclusion #children #childadvocacy

This is a day to celebrate the impact of fathers on the lives of children and how much children need your love. Happy Father's Day to birth fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, and anyone who has taken on the role of a father to help raise a child. As child advocates, who serve children who have experienced abuse or neglect, we've seen the devastation of volatile homes that sometimes leads children to be placed into the child welfare system. But we have also witnessed the transformational impact on children when they have a loving, secure, and safe home. I share this article on how, just like a mother, a father plays a critical role in a child's life including their emotional development: https://ow.ly/LKnI50SjBaG #HappyFathersDay #FathersDay #father #children #parents #childadvocacy #wellbeing #parenting

There is a special national holiday coming up on Wednesday, June 19th. It is Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States on June 19th in 1865. Some of Child Advocates staff will be celebrating this critical time in our nation's history early by taking part in this Saturday's Indy Juneteenth Celebration Parade in downtown Indianapolis at 10 a.m., which is followed by a festival in Military Park at noon. We serve vulnerable children across Indiana and we support the rich tapestry of their diversity and the beauty and uniqueness in every child. If you want to start the Juneteenth Festivities before, or on June 19th, learn more about the Indianapolis events and programs celebrating "Freedom Day" for Black Americans. Click here: https://ow.ly/hiv350Sjfm6 #Juneteenth #Celebration #FreedomDay #history #children #childadvocacy #justice #equity #diversity

How does your business serve the community? Many of Child Advocates' staff, along with family and friends of our nonprofit, took part in this Saturday’s Indy Pride, Inc. Parade in downtown Indianapolis, and it was very meaningful and memorable. Thousands of people were there to support the LGBTQ+ community. We serve vulnerable children across Indiana through various programs, including LGBTQ+ children in the child welfare system who need a safe and secure home. 🔷Some studies show that employees who see their business engaged in the community often develop a sense of belonging and pride in the company's values and mission. 🔷 ✴️Child Advocates brings our mission to life when we champion children and families by advocating for access to justice and equity and fostering well-being for them. ✴️ Taking part in this parade was a reminder that *every child matters* and every child deserves love, safety, and security. What are some of the ways your business, or even your families, are community-involved? #communityinvolvement #LGBTQ #PrideMonth #justice #equity #wellbeing #mission #childadvocacy #children

As child advocates, we champion children and families throughout Indiana by advocating for access to justice and equity and fostering well-being for children. That includes LGBTQ+ youths who represent some 30% of children in the child welfare system in the U.S. They are sometimes placed in the system because of neglect or abuse at home. 👉And unfortunately, sometimes their birth families reject, neglect, or abuse them *because* they are LGBTQ+. This Saturday, some of Child Advocates' staff will be supporting their rights and inclusivity by walking in the Indy Pride parade in downtown Indianapolis. 🏳️🌈 If you believe, as we do, in building a better future for every child or youth, including some of the children we serve in the child welfare system, we hope to see you there. Learn more about the Indy Pride Parade. #LGBTQ #LGBTQyouth #Pride #IndyPride #Parade #childwelfare #childadvocacy #equity #justice #wellbeing #youth

Child Advocates is not afraid to have the critical conversations about racism. Our CEO and our Chief of Community, Equity, and Inclusion share their insight on the Community Connection show on Radio One's AM 1310 'The Light": 🔷"We've gone backwards. After the George Floyd murder, people were heard and seen more loudly and more open to having the conversations about racism. But I think there has been a shift. It seems it's not even okay to talk about race equity work anymore. We're losing roles in DEI. It seems like we are going in a different direction." - Phyllis Armstrong/ Child Advocates CEO 🔷"The intention of racism is to keep all of us divided so that we can't come together collectively to create healthier communities...Some people are not understanding that the impact of racism is on everyone, just in much different ways." - Jill English/Chief of Community, Equity, and Inclusion Child Advocates leaders also discuss who pays the price due to racism: our children. Children are the reason we launched a race equity program nearly 15 years ago for anyone in the community. We want to build a better future for every child. Today, our "Interrupting Racism for Children" workshops have reached thousands of people as we grow and learn together. Hear this important conversation on interrupting racism at 46 minutes into the show: https://ow.ly/zpNh50S8C6u #racialequity #inclusion #diversity #DEI #children #childadvocacy #justice #equity #wellbeing #childwelfare #nonprofit

Imagine what it is like to be a child in a new land who is placed in the child welfare system because they experienced abuse or neglect in their home. We believe in "standing in the gap" for each vulnerable child in child welfare cases. Some of Child Advocates' attorneys from our Immigration Services, Jennifer Balhon, DeDe Connor, and Kimberly Huizinga, were out in the community this month sharing their expertise on the unique legal services we provide immigrant children across Indiana. COIN (Coalition for Our Immigrant Neighbors) chose our attorneys to discuss our work and its impact on children as part of its monthly Community Partner Spotlight. Child Advocates' attorneys have served hundreds of immigrant children and youth since we started our program in 2002. Today, we are helping 97 immigrant children find safe and secure homes, and addressing other needs, in 22 Indiana counties. We are thankful for the opportunity to interact with others who are providing critical services to immigrant children. COIN is a coalition of service providers that works together to provide legal, psychological and other services for immigrants in Central Indiana. Learn more about COIN here: https://ow.ly/Mmg950S0lJP #childwelfare #children #community #nonprofit #childadvocacy #justice #equity #immigration #immigrationservices