July 30th, 2021

Senator Mike Regan

1 East Harrisburg Street
Dillsburg, PA 17019

Dear Senator Regan:

I hope you find this letter well. My name is Danielle Simpson, and I am a student at HACC enrolled in the
Early Care and Education program. I am writing with regards to the children in the welfare system.
According to the Children’s Defense Fund website, children “age-out of foster care without a permanent
family. Children with no permanent family or connection with a caring adult…face numerous barriers as
they struggle to become self sufficient adults” (2019). This is a problem because as adults that struggle
to survive, they have children of their own which results in repeating their childhood.

The Children’s Defense Fund website also states that “a child is abused or neglected every 47 seconds in
America” (2019), an important testimony because many children perish at the hands of abusers or
become adults who engage in abuse towards others. If the child welfare system doesn’t improve, future
generations will be in a continuous cycle of these outcomes. One organization aiming to improve
children’s lives in the welfare system is the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). The CWLA’s focus
is “children who have experienced factors that jeopardize their safety, permanence, or well being” with
a vision that “every child will grow up in a safe, loving, and stable family” (3). To transfer their vision to
reality, the CWLA holds conferences, summits, webinars, and e-learning courses as well as training to
strengthen skills.

Another organization aiming to provide children with a safe and permanent home and opportunity to
thrive is the Court Appointed Special Advocates Guardians ad Litem (CASAGAL) for Children. CASAGAL’s
vision is “every child who has experienced abuse or neglect is given the opportunity to thrive in a safe
and loving home” (2021). CASAGAL receives volunteers who complete thorough training and are then
assigned to aid a child in a case they will stay with until the child is placed in a permanent home. This
program helps children because the volunteers can thoroughly examine the child’s environment and
understand their personality and life. With this information the volunteer can express their research and
make recommendations to the court to best benefit the child. This is different from social workers
because social workers carry the case loads of multiple children and because of that can’t dedicate a
vast amount of time to only one child.

Many people are unaware of organizations such as the ones above and there are many more available.
Senator Regan, we need your help shining a light on these efforts. With more awareness, volunteers,
and donations these organizations can expand their aid to children’s welfare. I will be volunteering with
CASAGAL once I am completed with my education program. Until then I will stay up to date on welfare
policies, inform my peers and social circles of organizations that aid children’s welfare, as well as staying
informed on e-learning courses and webinars provided. Thank you for your time and consideration, if
you have any questions or concern, please feel free to contact me at dxs88511@hawkmail.hacc.edu.
Sincerely,

Danielle Simpson

1. Child welfare. Children's Defense Fund. (2019, September 13).

https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/policy-priorities/child-welfare/.

2. Mission, vision and values. National CASA/GAL Association for Children. (2021, July
1). https://nationalcasagal.org/our-work/mission-vision-and-values/.
3. Who we are & what we do. CWLA. (n.d.). https://www.cwla.org/about-us/.