[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6096435,"mediaKeyId","2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a","parentId",2833005,"title","CASA director urges state support as caseworker turnover, lack of legal and mental-health access deepen foster-care trauma","audioSeconds",1978,"startMs",4152000,"endMs",6130000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a&start=4152&end=6130","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a/thumbnail_4152000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6096435/Missouri/CASA-director-urges-state-support-as-caseworker-turnover-lack-of-legal-and-mental-health-access-deepen-foster-care-trauma","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096435-ab550ca40773103af6f35c99c253b861/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067767&Signature=GbMYiU6yyizZVfdMYA5fMOjfLWAzF7j1jX9XdMHwtxxICdrEIma8bJ5HV1DrIB2Dd~SZ~Ac2JT-5Us8GUMQvBj41FgrvDj0p9x5GYrStiMOjsLdeVgB1c3uNS7TBl7c1m7PwctG76E932lLRsNzgb~-cj21d1sP3voUE-JNreK6zHk4JO7MSInHZGfJF36zDiD-eJ~AcefaA7F-WMFQFetSAl3oSwfhTqWwT63okkPsUeeaZ0NLQL0KSbB8CDmL6emh3F33EiCQRG6xKr9fmYEInFqhet~6UFJBta1XB0oXZjVjrvjUOEjS2pFr7gNi6beSC5WqhS0ZoMITKyk9LkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Missouri Legislature","date","2025-03-31T00:00:00Z","article","Amber Steinberger, executive director of CASA of South Central Missouri, told the Mental Health Committee that high turnover among children’s-division caseworkers and shortages in mental-health and legal services are worsening trauma for children in foster care.

Steinberger described CASA volunteers — Court Appointed Special Advocates who are sworn to represent children in court — as a stabilizing presence for youths who otherwise face frequent caseworker changes and delayed services. She told lawmakers her program’s 9 staff supervise 50 volunteers who in the last quarter reached 218 children, leaving 254 children in the circuit without an advocate.

Why it matters: Steinberger said the state’s foster-care system is straining and that caseworker attrition and low pay leave children without consistent oversight, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes including homelessness after aging out of care.

Brittney Sequeachia, a former foster youth who volunteers with CASA and described nearly eight years in care, told the committee she experienced multiple placements and limited continuity of care. She said CASA volunteers provided a rare consistent adult who advocated for basic needs, school support and court representation. Sequeachia described struggles navigating benefits and mental-health care after aging out — including a lapse of insurance that interrupted outpatient therapy and medications.

Steinberger and Sequeachia told lawmakers CASA programs rely heavily on fundraising and limited state allocations. Steinberger said the state organization receives about $1.3 million to divide among 24 local CASA programs and that local programs asked for a recurring $3 million appropriation to expand capacity; she said the organization sometimes receives small shares of VOCA funding (about 4.3% of a line item) and otherwise must raise roughly half of local program budgets.

Steinberger urged legislative support for: increased recurring state funding for CASA programs to recruit and supervise volunteers; investments in caseworker retention; better cross-jurisdiction coordination so children placed across counties do not “get lost in the shuffle”; and improved access to mental-health services for youth who have experienced trauma.

Ending: Steinberger told lawmakers that “every child deserves to be seen, heard, and protected” and asked legislators to consider recurring funding to expand CASA coverage so every child in foster care has a volunteer advocate.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Health and Mental Health - Monday, March 31","oneSentenceSummary","Amber Steinberger of CASA of South Central Missouri and a former foster youth described high caseworker turnover, long caseworker caseloads and large gaps in mental-health and legal services for children in foster care across the 20th/25th judicial circuit.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MO, Missouri","taxId",77693,"location","Missouri","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6096441,"Family Justice Center director warns committee VOCA cuts and grant instability threaten victim services statewide",2206,1753000,3959000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a&start=1753&end=3959","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a/thumbnail_1753000.jpg","/articles/6096441/Missouri/Family-Justice-Center-director-warns-committee-VOCA-cuts-and-grant-instability-threaten-victim-services-statewide","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096441-2bf9a7f50bcfe107feae4a134abd33af/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067767&Signature=l4NJSWRQ4d83C332CH6Jvn5YKrjbT51zqlFBrL-EnQp-UQWPGSbMCPS0Q-qwH7ytMgF60ykrbOcxj0gPQHuzb2By8KPppEXRYJerDtd3ertDFt17PgcCmH7O3y37lRhawXy-mVJU8ls~CSlXCKBMF44Mp2uhA5JHrBjo9abR5damAjgB6flhlc~Pl6gCev1fbNrSQ5ZYj8YP9K6fA7G3oPxRhIR~f2DMlCgIGvkA0~EByqPfNV~jqgFt8IVFmtAFc0vzwwO9ir2VFuIrtTEsY8p0vc9lLx~zSnJlaX5RhOQdAiRYdIHvD4dU1o1RjcslGzSciRzQM24S21aFxTNdZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jamie Willis, director of Family Justice Center operations for Greene County, told the Mental Health Committee that most local domestic-violence programs rely on a patchwork of federal, state and private grants and that recent reductions in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding threaten operations.

Willis said that VOCA funding has historically supported much of the direct service infrastructure for domestic violence, sexual assault and child-abuse programs. She told the committee that \"each state saw a 40% decrease in funding,\" and that the 2024 fiscal-year cut of roughly $630 million nationally forced programs to triage or close.

Why it matters: Willis said local service providers, prosecutors and social-service agencies depend on predictable VOCA and grant funding to maintain staff and capacity. She urged lawmakers to consider state-level backstops when federal funds fall short and to support collaborative service models such as Family Justice Centers.

Willis described the Family Justice Center model used in Greene County: a co-located collaborative where advocates, attorneys, prosecutors, social workers and law enforcement provide coordinated access in a single facility. Greene County’s center, she said, is currently the only Family Justice Center in Missouri.

On immigration-related barriers, Willis described the U nonimmigrant status (U visa) program and said legal services are in short supply: “There’s always a greater need than is available,” she told the committee, noting that reporting requirements for certain immigration remedies can complicate access. Willis said Family Justice Center programs serve people regardless of immigration status but that recent political narratives have deterred some undocumented survivors from seeking help.

Willis and committee members also discussed differential coverage for forensic exams and other medical care: Willis said Missouri covers sexual-assault forensic exams but that other medical care related to strangulation or non-sexual physical injuries often is not covered in the same way, creating barriers for survivors who share insurance with their abusers.

Willis recommended that the legislature consider: restoring or replacing VOCA shortfalls with state funds, supporting expansion of collaborative Family Justice Centers, and addressing legal-service capacity for immigrant survivors. She said the governor had recommended a $25 million appropriation in the current budget cycle in response to provider requests for $30 million in state support.

Ending: Willis asked lawmakers to consider state funding measures and statutory fixes that would stabilize services and increase access to legal and forensic care for survivors across Missouri.","Jamie Willis, director of Family Justice Center operations for Greene County, told the Mental Health Committee that reductions in federal Victims of Crime Act funding and unstable grant streams are forcing providers to reduce services or close.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6096447,"Shelter staff tell Mental Health Committee domestic and sexual violence drive lasting trauma and health harms",0,5564000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a&start=5564&end=5564","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2833005-4b33a324b02d2a3ea513c869440a688a/thumbnail_5564000.jpg","/articles/6096447/Missouri/Shelter-staff-tell-Mental-Health-Committee-domestic-and-sexual-violence-drive-lasting-trauma-and-health-harms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096447-e5abce87918bd825260774d20dc8528d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067767&Signature=ESoOw7bYIcVwwHPFPMRlhVGIeUPtAcR55pW9iBYtPkYLVUiqLVmtrQOYuBSjH1qRu~UgV4rcHVyog5cVOJzFwzAAqJKeIoIHC3JpV6pJaRDy-BO4AZh47i5fNc0OdMpaBmvuEjWwACKb6XnIqB3DRDRDUboxIM3LFaEoseSOcJvERzNsDFoF9XvSlX1-nUzNKz04gijWckpcvkss0oey6FDpvSIdipg8qTUcgnWfRmdoWOpzC1khb3BgMYLG3-o8s6r8-r2DOFs0ro2w0aWaXybO5UCWA9hktCIdbcnEIvvkivpRG0xDkQ6QQmetTHsM9m54S5cwA8fIyvcQCrVbzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carly Calera, agency therapist at Harmony House, told the Missouri Mental Health Committee that intimate partner violence and sexual violence cause both immediate injuries and long-term physical and mental-health problems for survivors.

Calera said the abuse she and her colleagues see ranges from “scratches, biting, grabbing” and strangulation to psychological tactics such as gaslighting and economic control that block a survivor’s ability to work or access money. She described reproductive coercion — including “hiding, withholding, or destroying a partner’s oral contraceptives” and removing condoms without consent — as another common tactic used to maintain power in relationships.

The presenters told the committee the health impacts are wide-ranging: from bruises and internal injuries to chronic conditions such as arthritis, digestive disorders and migraine, and elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidality. They also warned that nonfatal strangulation is among the most dangerous forms of domestic violence, can cause traumatic brain injury and substantially raises a survivor’s risk of later homicide.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that domestic and sexual violence are not isolated personal conflicts but public-health issues that undermine survivors’ housing, employment and parenting and increase demand for medical, mental-health and social services.

Calera emphasized that abuse is tactical and intentional rather than merely impulsive: “It is a choice. It is not the victim’s fault,” she said. She described the “power and control wheel” framework — tactics such as denying, blaming, economic abuse and coercion — that staff use to explain patterns of abuse to clients and to other agencies.

Committee members asked about male survivors, youth exposure and social-media influences. Calera said Harmony House serves people of all genders and that national lifetime-prevalence figures she cited include “1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men.” On youth, presenters told lawmakers that social media can normalize harmful behaviors and that providers are trying to teach healthy relationship skills in schools and to parents.

On strangulation, presenters said observers should treat any report of being “choked” or having hands placed on the neck as a serious medical risk because loss of consciousness can occur in seconds and brain injury may follow without obvious external bruising. Calera noted the odds of later homicide increase sharply after prior strangulation and urged clinicians and first responders to consider imaging and forensic evaluation when indicated.

Presenters also described the frequent co-occurrence of substance use disorders among survivors and said substance use is often a coping strategy rather than the cause of violence. They said many survivors use substances after incidents, while abusers more often use substances during incidents.

The presenters closed by describing clinical needs — trauma-informed therapy, safety planning, harm-reduction approaches and coordinated referrals — and urged lawmakers to support funding and cross-agency collaboration so survivors can access medical, mental-health and legal services without repeated transitions between offices.

The committee did not take action during the hearing; presenters provided materials and offered to follow up with staff and legislators.

Ending: Harmony House staff asked legislators to consider both funding and policy changes that would expand trauma-informed care, improve forensic and TBI evaluation access after strangulation, and reduce administrative barriers that prevent survivors from receiving services.","Speakers from Harmony House described how intimate partner violence, sexual violence, strangulation, reproductive coercion and related tactics produce lasting physical and mental-health harm and complicate survivors’ access to services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

CASA director urges state support as caseworker turnover, lack of legal and mental-health access deepen foster-care trauma

Family Justice Center director warns committee VOCA cuts and grant instability threaten victim services statewide

Shelter staff tell Mental Health Committee domestic and sexual violence drive lasting trauma and health harms