Curtis Bramblett is the Chief Deputy of the Tenth Circuit Juvenile Office in Missouri. That includes Ralls County, Marion County, and Monroe County, Missouri. We sat down with Curtis to discuss his role in the lives of children in foster care.
Curtis explained the role of the juvenile office in the foster care system. “We’re a law enforcement entity that deals specifically with juveniles. So, anytime a crime is committed by a juvenile, or a crime is committed against a juvenile, – we have jurisdiction to act.”
The juvenile office is often the first point of contact for putting kids in protective custody. “There is a wide spectrum of services we provide to get the parents where they are feeling super well and where they are pushing past any trauma. We focus on reuniting families and making them stronger – we want to make a unit a better unit moving forward,” Curtis said.
Just like Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries works to give foster parents and children the support they need in order to succeed, the Juvenile office works to give children and biological parents the support they need.
“We need to continue to look at ways to meet these children, and to incentivize them to want to be those members of society that we know they can be,” Curtis said. “I really like rehabilitating kids. These kids love, learn, and care; they have desires, wants, needs, and hobbies that really entice them; they have things that they look forward to – it’s no different than any other child.”
At the end of the day, everyone on the Family Support Team (juvenile officers, GALs, case workers, CASAs, bio parents, and foster parents) is working to reunite the child with their biological family. Research shows that reunification is the best outcome for children. “Ultimately, every time a child is reunified with their biological family, without exception, everyone in the courtroom claps, stands up, cries – it’s truly magical,” Curtis pointed out.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out,” Curtis said. “If you know somebody who’s struggling, we will help. Absolutely we will help.”
For more stories about the reality of foster care, visit coyotehill.org/this-is-foster-care or watch the video below!
