Georgia state Senator, Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, was recently invited as "Guest Listener" to a community forum where social service professionals expressed ways to improve the foster care system.
The forum, which was held at the Chickamauga Public Library last Tuesday evening, included Directors of the Department of Family and Children Services of Walker, Catoosa, Dade and Chattooga Counties, Juvenile Court Judge, Foster Parents, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and others concerned with the declining resources available to the abused and neglected North Georgia children entangled in the foster care system.

The forum was first of many in which community leaders expressed to Mullis the need to increase funding for DFCS to continue to provide direct services such as therapy, parent aids and supervised visitation for foster children and families. Barbara Beckman, a CASA Volunteer, decided to organize the forum with Mr. Mullis when the foster children for whom she was advocating were about to lose funding for intensive therapy.

She hopes that forums such as these will take place frequently as they aid in educating our state representatives about such issues.

Article submitted by Carleena Angwin, director of Lookout Mountain CASA.