Celia’s baby, Isabel, was born prematurely. Immediately, miscommunication issues with the hospital arose from Celia's primarily speaking Spanish.

The hospital was concerned that Isabel was losing weight and didn’t think Celia was caring for or feeding her properly. They called Child Protective Services and Isabel was placed in a foster home.

Celia’s baby, Isabel, was born prematurely. Immediately, miscommunication issues with the hospital arose from Celia's primarily speaking Spanish. The hospital was concerned that Isabel was losing weight and didn’t think Celia was caring for or feeding her properly. They called Child Protective Services and Isabel was placed in a foster home.

The attorney for baby Isabel felt that going back home was right for her, and wanted a role model for Celia who could speak her language and help her navigate the complicated child welfare and medical systems. The attorney requested that CASA be involved, and Carmen was appointed as the CASA volunteer representing baby Isabel’s best interest.

Carmen got to know Celia, attended medical appointments and talked with doctors, and observed visits between Celia and baby Isabel. Carmen agreed with the attorney, concluding that Celia wasn’t an unfit parent and just needed more information and the confidence to know she could do a good job raising a fragile baby. Carmen felt that Celia was being treated like she didn’t know anything about parenting, and attributed much of that to the language barrier. Most importantly, Celia felt she could trust and count on Carmen, and when she had a challenging moment, Carmen was the first person she'd call.

Today Isabel is back home with her family—thanks to Carmen’s work clearing up miscommunications, building a trusting relationship with Celia, and offering her the guidance she needed to learn new parenting skills.