by Sheila G. Kelley, development coordinator
In a world where 600,000 children find themselves in US foster care and family court systems, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) aids in finding these children a safe, loving and permanent home – whether that be with their parents, other caretakers or through adoption placement.
According to CASA Executive Director Leslie Guinn, advocates are everyday citizens who are appointed by judges to speak up for the best interest of a child in court. In many cases, these children come from unstable home situations and need an unbiased advocate to look out for their best interests.
A CASA is an official part of judicial proceedings, working alongside attorneys and social workers. By handling only one or two cases at a time the CASA has time to thoroughly explore the history of each assigned case.
The volunteer talks with the child, parents, family members, neighbors, school officials, doctors and others involved in the child’s background who might have facts about the case. The volunteer reviews all court facts and documents pertaining to the case.
The CASA is then expected to submit formal reports to the Judge at every scheduled hearing. They continue to monitor the case to assure that the judicial and child welfare systems are moving ahead to secure a safe, permanent home for the child, and that court-ordered services are provided to the child and family.
“The CASA can be an invaluable resource for the court and for the child in reaching their goals for permanency,” Leslie said.
Leslie and co-worker Asthon Hittle are the only paid staff so volunteers are an integral part of the process.
“We couldn’t do our job if we didn’t have our volunteers. Right now, in Harvey County, we have 25 volunteers which is the most we’ve had in years,” Leslie stated. “Volunteers set their own schedules to do what needs to be done.”
Being a CASA isn’t for the faint of heart.
“It’s heavy work and a lot of people are just not built for it,” Leslie said. “After intensive training and confirmation with the court, we let our volunteers choose what cases they want to work on.”
A large part of any case is helping the parents develop and achieve a case plan if they are interested in having the children return home.
“Ultimately, one of our goals is to have the children return to the home if satisfactory changes can be made,” Leslie said. “Or they are able to go into permanent placement elsewhere.”
Unfortunately returning to the home is not always the best-case scenario.
“It’s a lot of work to get the children back,” Leslie explained. “Sometimes parents, for whatever reason, aren’t able to be good parents.”
The process of reintegration or adoption doesn’t happen quickly. Some parents get so overwhelmed, they feel like it’s a never-ending fight to get their children back. If drugs and/or alcohol are factors, even more hurdles must be overcome.
Getting a decision on placement can take up to two years to finalize.
“Parents have 15 months to work through their plan. If parents aren’t able to do what the court demands, the court begins looking for other permanency which could be adoption or, if they are old enough, go to independent living,” Leslie said.
Surprisingly, COVID did not increase the CASA’s case load. Leslie thinks it’s because reporting declined with children being out of school and not going to doctors’ appointments.
“There was a pretty significant increase in 2022 of new cases which is probably the most we’ve had in years,” Leslie said. “Last year had 27-30 cases which does not include those already in process.”
Usually, children don’t go to court since it’s not a perfect place for them.
“Children under 12-13 years of age usually don’t attend court since it’s traumatic for them,” Leslie stated. “If they do go to court, most judges will ask the child if there is anything he or she should know about.”
Parents don’t have a say in court. They tell their attorneys what to convey but sometimes they don’t tell everything they want to. Because of this, the program offers CRB (Citizens Review Board) services.
The CRB is a board of six volunteers who hear cases at a standstill or difficulty or people don’t know what to do. A roundtable discussion is called with everybody involved with the case for issues like how things are going, what are barriers, what can they do to help?
CRB results become court orders upon judges’ approval unless they are objected to by their attorneys within 14 days of submittance.
“The CASA is a middle ground and non-biased party to be able to effectively advocate for the family,” Leslie explained. “The main goal is to advocate for the children and provide support for the family because ultimately, we want the children back in their homes. If parents don’t feel supported, it’s hard for them to achieve it.”
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