Recognizing the Hidden Signs of

Medical Child Abuse

Canopy Center CASA Case Coordinator Mishelle Roberts recently presented at the 2026 International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Congress in Melbourne, Australia, sharing both her professional perspective and her family’s lived experience with medical child abuse, also known as Munchausen by Proxy.

Her presentation focused on how greater awareness can help adults recognize concerns, respond appropriately and better advocate for children.

• Medical child abuse can be difficult to recognize. A caregiver may report symptoms or limitations that others do not observe.
• Changes in a child’s symptoms can offer important clues. In some cases, reported symptoms improve when the child is separated from the caregiver.
• Careful observation is a powerful form of advocacy. CASA Volunteers have a unique opportunity to listen to children, observe their experiences and document concerns.

Bringing Two Programs Closer Together

Earlier this month, Canopy Center brought our CASA and Parent to Child programs under shared leadership, with CASA Program Director Cheri Dvorak stepping into an overarching Program Director role.

The programs are naturally connected: children supported by CASA may also participate in supervised visits, and both teams work closely with many of the same community partners.

Bringing them closer together creates new opportunities to:

• Coordinate services and resources across programs.
• More effectively share training and expertise among staff, interns, and volunteers.
• Create stronger connections between the different ways Canopy Center supports families involved in the child welfare system.
• Build capacity to serve more children and families.
  

A Mad Hatter’s Thank You!

The forecast kept us guessing, but Mad Hatter’s Bingo was a success, raising more than $8,000 for Canopy Center’s CASA program!

For a small nonprofit, that support makes a meaningful difference. It helps Canopy Center provide consistency, advocacy, and connection for approximately 100 children in Dane and Columbia Counties. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us, played bingo, purchased raffle tickets, and helped make the evening such a success!

Thank You to Our Sponsors 💜

Canopy Center Named a Community Favorite

We’re honored to share that for the second year in a row Canopy Center was voted one of the top three Local Charitable Organizations in Madison.com’s 2026 People’s Choice awards!

Recognition like this means even more because it comes from the community around us. Thank you to everyone who voted and continues to support our work with children and families!

P.S. You don’t have to be a Canopy Center client to share your experience with us.

If you’ve volunteered, donated, partnered with us, attended an event or simply believe in our mission, a review can help others learn more about Canopy Center and the work happening in our community.

• Leave us a Google Review: A quick review helps people searching for Canopy Center learn more about who we are and what we do.
• Share your story on GreatNonprofits: Help strengthen Canopy Center’s profile and show potential supporters what our work looks like through the eyes of our community. We need 10 new reviews each year, to maintain our "Great" status!
• Send us a personal testimonial: Prefer to share with us directly? Email us a few sentences or a video of you talking about your experience with Canopy Center and what our mission means to you! Send to: info@canopycenter.org

A note about privacy: When posting a public review, please do not include names, case details, or other identifying information about children or families receiving services.

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