An increasing number of unarmed young people have been inexplicably shot by police in recent years. Your foster child may be stopped by police. They should know what to do to stay safe.

Please attend our January 28th training session, “How to Remain Safe in an Encounter with Police.” The information you learn can be shared with your CASA youth and possibly save a life.

Courtney Wiggins-Lloyd, CEO of Oak Hill House School in Clear Spring, Maryland, a group home for boys, will facilitate the discussion. As the sister of a police officer and child welfare expert, Ms. Wiggins- Lloyd developed the training to protect youth after young Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore in 2015.

Drafted in consultation with police and child-welfare experts, Ms. Wiggin-Lloyd’s class offers a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” Participants will also learn about their legal rights, what to do if arrested and how to curb impulse reactions that could trigger trouble.

Foster children are vulnerable. They have been through trauma and separation; the manifestation of this often looks like fight or flight. If they are AWOL or unsupervised, police are often asked to be on the lookout for them. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and feeling respected.

It is important that we have this difficult conversation with our youth and encourage others to talk with them about safety in the community.

Please RSVP to Tom Ferraro at tferraro@pgcasa.org