Court Appointed Special Advocates: Being a Voice for Children in Courts

Title: CASA Panel: Advocacy Awareness Q&A

Date: March 22nd, 2024

Time: 10:00am- 11:30amCST//11:00am- 12:30pmEST

Speakers: Wendy Jill Spence, TN CASA Director of Professional Development & Lynne Farrar, TN CASA Executive Director

Description:

We are very excited for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates in TN, to join us this month as we focus on Child Advocacy Month. The training will discuss the mission of CASA from the local level, through the state and national network. They will explore CASA's role in the child welfare system, discuss a child's journey through placement, what makes their role important in the bigger picture, and how they hold and support children and families in their own unique way. The session will include Q & A time with panelists from a local CASA program, focusing on different sectors and prespectives, as well as promotion of dialogue and connection between professionals. Participants will hear from panelists who have experience working within the child and family team and discuss how CASA makes a difference for infants involved in Safe Baby Court.

Panel Moderator: Kassie Davis, Executive Director, CASA of Rutherford County and TN CASA Board Member

- Panel to include a CASA volunteer and other individuals serving unique roles within the child and family team.

Wendy Jill Spence, TN CASA Director of Professional Development

Wendy Jill Spence has served in several roles with the Tennessee CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association since 2009. In her current position as the director of professional development, Ms. Spence leads learning initiatives promoting high-quality advocacy and sustainable nonprofit organizations for the network of 31 statewide local CASA programs serving 59 counties. Her role advances the mission of Tennessee CASA to support, develop, expand and unite local CASA programs in recruiting and training volunteers to advocate for Tennessee's children who have been abused and neglected.

Prior to joining Tennessee CASA, Ms. Spence worked for United Way of Rutherford County in the First Call for Help program and spent several years in early childhood education. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University. In 2020, Ms. Spence completed the Children’s Law and Policy Executive Program at Loyola University Chicago.

Ms. Spence actively participates in statewide child welfare councils and initiatives. She is a member of the Tennessee Young Child Wellness Council, Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee Advisory Council, Youth Transitions Advisory Council and the Mid-Cumberland Council on Children and Youth.

Lynne Farrar, TN CASA Executive Director

Lynne Farrar has been in the nonprofit field serving children and families for 34 years, 24 of which have been with CASA. In 2014, Farrar became the State Director for Tennessee CASA Association, Inc. with the mission to support, develop, expand and unite local CASA programs in recruiting and training volunteers to advocate for Tennessee's children who have been abused and neglected. The TN CASA Network consists of 31 programs serving 59 counties with over 1,700 volunteers advocating in juvenile court for 4,829 children who have been abused.

Farrar served as the executive director of CASA Works, Inc., a local CASA program serving Bedford, Coffee, and Franklin Counties, from 2010-2014. Prior to serving as executive director of CASA Works, Farrar was the associate director for The Center for Family Development in Shelbyville, TN, creating the original CASA program serving Bedford and Coffee counties in 2000. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and business from Middle Tennessee State University.

Farrar has held leadership positions in the National CASA network for many years beginning with serving as a rural advisor years ago. Farrar has served on the State Leadership Council for several years and served as Co-Chair for six years. Farrar has also served on the National Leadership Council and is a current member of both SLC and NLC. Farrar was named the National CASA State Director of the Year at the 2023 National Conference.

Farrar is active on many community and state-level committees. She serves as the President of Tennessee's Joint Task Force on Children's Justice and Child Sexual Abuse and as a member of the Court Improvement Committee; member of the Dept. of Children’s Services Commissioner’s Children’s Advisory Council and Safe Baby Court Advisory Council; the Steering Group for the DCS Child and Family Service Review Performance Improvement Plan required by the U.S. Children’s Bureau; and the Multi-Disciplinary Task Force for Court Improvement of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Kassie Davis, Executive Director of the Rutherford County CASA program

Kassie has been with the Rutherford County program since 2003, starting out as a college intern and then becoming the Assistant Director. In 2016, she began her tenure as the Executive Director of the program. Kassie received her bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. Some of her accomplishments in the program include: helping to chair the Foster Care Review Board and partnering with the Department of Children’s Services to develop an Angel Tree Christmas Program where over 2,000 foster children and non-custodial DCS children have been receiving Christmas gifts for over ten years. Kassie also serves as the middle Tennessee agency representative, Professional Development Chair, and Executive Committee Secretary for the Tennessee CASA board.

Kassie is passionate about teaching the community how to help serve foster children, training CASA volunteers how to effectively and smartly advocate for CASA children, and to create lasting change for the better for foster children. Kassie has been married for sixteen years to her husband, Matt, and has two precious children of her own, Annabelle and Max.

About AIMHiTN

The Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMHiTN) exists to support infants and young children and the adults who impact their early relational health. Our focus is on prenatal care up to a child's sixth birthday because we know it's those earliest years that matter most. AIMHiTN delivers education, training, and resources to assist caregivers, educators, healthcare providers, and other professionals in their everyday interactions with infants, young children, and their families. Our work helps ensure healthy communities and a productive workforce for generations to come, creating a brighter future for all. Simply put, we support the workforce that supports our future workforce.