LOUISIANA

Raven Sigure is a passionate parent advocate and new member of Casey’s Birth Parent Advisory Committee. A mother of five, her children were removed and placed in kinship care due to substance abuse issues and difficulty parenting. Ms. Sigure made the difficult decision to enter an inpatient treatment program, and eventually she was able to reunify with her children. She now works as a parent partner with Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, providing support to parents in the system. In May 2018, she was a powerful messenger at Casey Family Programs’ Family First Prevention Services Act press briefing in Washington, D.C., sharing her compelling story and her hopes for positive reform due to Family First. Today, she frequently speaks with policymakers on Capitol Hill and is a nationally recognized parent advocate who is dedicated to strengthening families to prevent child maltreatment.

Jeremiah Donier is a nationally recognized expert in father engagement and a dedicated advocate for strengthening families to prevent child maltreatment. He has provided leadership on numerous child welfare education and advocacy efforts, including the Developing Advocacy for Dads Coalition, the Birth Parent National Network Parent Council, and Casey Family Programs’ Birth Parent Advisory Committee and Birth and Foster Parent Partnership. In 2012, he and his wife were named the first reunification heroes by the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. Shortly after becoming a dad, Mr. Donier struggled with mental health challenges and abuse allegations. He became involved with child welfare and his child was placed in foster care. For the next 18 months, he and his family participated in wraparound and therapy services, and through hard work and effort, his family was able to successfully reunite.

UTAH

Many Native American children who live on reservations in rural areas of Utah are unable to stay in their communities due to lack of foster homes, but Stephanie Benally is committed to changing that. Ms. Benally serves as the Native American Specialist for Utah Foster Care and works to educate state child welfare workers, judges, attorneys and guardians ad litem on the importance of placing Native American children in kinship placements to ensure they have a connection to their families and culture. This is in keeping with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). She was also a stakeholder on the Utah recruitment team’s Casey National ICWA Placement Recruitment & Retention Project, where she led the development of Utah’s first statewide Native American foster care recruitment plan. With the assistance of her extended family, Ms. Benally and her husband have taught their children the Navajo language, their cultural value systems and traditional Navajo ways.

MICHIGAN

When Jan Wagner unexpectedly became the primary caregiver for her grandson, she worked with his school to secure training for school professionals on the impact of trauma on children and how to provide trauma-informed care. She has facilitated a kinship caregiver support group for more than five years and is the chair of the Michigan Kinship Coalition. In 2014, she was awarded the National Foster Parent Association‘s Advocate of the Year Award, and she is a member of Generations United’s Grandfamilies Advocacy Network Demonstration, which informs policies and practices affecting grandfamilies. She has also participated in numerous Casey Family Programs events, including the Family First Prevention Services Act press briefing in May 2018. Ms. Wagner’s goal in her advocacy is to reduce the confusion and stress placed on kinship families, and she believes that if kinship caregivers are given the help and resources they need, they can provide their children with the future they deserve.

MICHIGAN

Drawing on her own experience as a child in foster care, Brittney Barros’ advocacy and work have had a lasting impact on homeless youth, children in foster care and the systems that support them. As a peer outreach worker for Ozone House, Ms. Barros recruited more than 2,000 youth to emergency shelters, therapy and life skills groups. She also interned for Sen. Gary Peters, where she worked on child welfare issues and briefed Congress and the White House on sibling separation. In May 2018, Ms. Barros provided personal testimony at the Casey Family Programs Family First Prevention Services Act press briefing in Washington, D.C. In addition, as a peer leader with the Michigan Youth Opportunity Initiative, Ms. Barros trains other youth in life skills to better prepare them for adulthood. Her long-term goals include becoming a foster care worker and parent as well as running for Congress.