Care & Custody:  A Novel of Three Children at Risk

When six-year-old Hope tells her 1^st grade teacher there is no food at home and Mommy is always “asleep,” the school calls the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. The subsequent investigation triggers a harrowing five-year journey through the child welfare system for Hope and her older siblings Alysha and Tyrone.

Care & Custody is narrated by Miriam Fine, the children’s CASA Volunteer, one of over 76,000 Court Appointed Special Advocates who represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in our country’s Family Court system. Using emails, court reports, school essays, and case files, Care & Custody reveals the trauma these children experience firsthand in their desperate quest to find safety and happiness inside a terribly broken system.

About the Author

Martha Gershun retired as Executive Director of Jackson County CASA, one of the largest CASA agencies in the country, advocating for more than 1,250 children each year. She also served as a Board member of the Missouri CASA Association and the National CASA Association.

Gershun is a passionate, persuasive public speaker who speaks often about the plight of children in the foster care system. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Kveller, and The Kansas City Star.

Care & Custody is available on Amazon. 

For speaking opportunities, fundraising events, and bulk purchases contact the author at: martha@mgconsulting.com