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On a daily basis, Carla Reyes, an attorney ad litem chosen to rep- resent children who
cases at once — the maximum number allowed by law.
and able to take care of the child, that is where they are assigned.
have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse, hears stories that break her heart — but she also gets to celebrate when children can be returned to their families, or when they are adopted into loving homes.
If a family member or individu- al calls the Child Abuse Hotline, contacts a Department of Human Services worker, or notifies law enforcement about a potential case of child abuse or neglect, a civilian arm of the Arkansas State Police is assigned to go to the home and investigate the charges, Carla said.
Most children don’t have to tes- tify in court — what they have to say has been pre-recorded prior to the court date. Carla takes most children to the courtroom before their day in court and shows them where they will sit, where she will sit, where the judge will be. The DVD or audio of the child’s testi- mony is presented in court as evi- dence, Carla explained and DHS is listed as the petitioner during the hearing to determine if the child should remain in foster care or with relatives.
She has served in her current capacity since 1998.
In the past year or two, the DHS has tried to keep children in their homes whenever possible — at least 90 percent of the parents whose children are removed from the home have issues with drugs, Carla said. Whenever possible, if there are stable family members in the child’s life who are willing
She works closely with the 13th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates to see that chil- dren removed from their homes receive quality representation when they go to court. Carla said most times, she has at least 75
Because of The Call in El Dorado, an organization established to place children in foster care, the number of foster homes in Union
And Justice For Small: As an attorney ad litem, Union County resident Carla Reyes represents abused and neglected children.
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