Advocacy Services at The Center for Children & Families
Children and their families may not have the power or resources to advocate for themselves. That’s where we step in. At The Center for Children & Families, we partner with local communities to access available assistance and help families receive the support they deserve.
Our advocacy services connect families to basic needs, life skills training, family advocacy, and free counseling resources—providing a path to healing and hope. Through several specialized programs, we ensure every child has someone standing up for their best interests.
Programs offered that promote advocacy services include:
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) are community volunteers that are trained and appointed by judges to advocate for children in foster care. These advocates serve as the voice of the child in court, ensuring their best interests are represented and helping them find a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.
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Volunteer-based program
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Serves children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect
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Provides consistent, one-on-one advocacy and court recommendations
Brokers of Hope is a community-driven advocacy program that supports children and youth in crisis. Working closely with law enforcement, courts, and child welfare agencies, our team helps families overcome barriers by connecting them to essential services like counseling, housing assistance, education, and more.
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Prevents juvenile incarceration and recidivism
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Individualized advocacy and care coordination
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Helps families access basic needs and long-term support
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeast Louisiana is a safe, child-friendly environment where children who have experienced abuse or witnessed violence can tell their story once, to a trained forensic interviewer, rather than reliving it multiple times. Through coordination with law enforcement, child protection, prosecutors, and mental health professionals, our advocates ensure that children are heard, believed, and supported.
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Provides forensic interviews and trauma-informed care
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Coordinates child abuse investigations to minimize re-traumatization
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Connects each child and their family to ongoing advocacy, counseling, and support services
Our Family Support and Youth Transition program (FSYT) is a statewide advocacy initiative in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice. FSYT works with youth who are at risk of incarceration, currently incarcerated, or recently released from custody.
The goal is to prevent incarceration by helping youth build life skills and find safe, productive ways to meet their needs. For those transitioning out of the juvenile justice system, FSYT provides critical support to ease their return to family, school, and community—with as little disruption as possible.
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Serves youth involved in or at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system
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Focuses on prevention, stabilization, and reentry support
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Offers life skills coaching, family advocacy, and coordinated care
Learn More About Family Support & Youth Transition Services→