16/Nov/2008
CASA Brings Hope to Kids In the Baton Rouge Area
By Madeline Casey
“I was about to pull my hair out! My high school didn’t send my transcripts to Southern University and… freshman orientation was the next week. Thankfully, my Auntie drove me to New Orleans and helped me get it all straightened out.”
An eighteen-year-old biology freshman at Southern University recalls this experience from just a few months ago. This student is a CASA graduate and her CASA volunteer, a woman she calls “Auntie,” drove her 160 miles to make sure she could attend college.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a nationwide program that recruits volunteers to speak on behalf of neglected children in juvenile court and child protection proceedings. These children are given a chance for a hopeful future through their CASA advocates.
CASA’s Mission
Foster families and courts are both overworked and under-funded. CASA strives to relieve pressure on the system through their trained volunteers. Advocates monitor a foster child’s case, talk to anyone involved in the child’s life and try to find out the facts so they can fully understand the situation.
Most importantly, CASA volunteers try to look at the case from the child’s point of view and communicate that to judges in court. They act as officers of the court and become a voice for children.
“Children trust their CASA volunteers to tell the judge what he or she needs to know,” says Emily Thibaut, Recruitment Coordinator at Baton Rouge’s Capital Area CASA Association.
Those who are not fortunate enough to be matched with an advocate only have a public defender to speak on their behalf and often slip through the cracks of the system. Judges use CASA as a reliable source of information who can be trusted to do what is best for each child.
“Going into it, I didn’t know anything about the program but it was nice to know somebody was on my side,” the recent CASA graduate and Southern University student* said.
She said her Auntie and mother have been the biggest influences in her life. Now in her first semester of college, she plans to have a successful career as a radiologist and eventually have a family of her own.
“CASA helped me move forward with my life,” she said.
Proven Success
The Systematic Review of the Impact of Court Appointed Special Advocates analyzed the influence of CASA in the lives of the children they’ve worked with in the past. According to the 2004 study, CASA involvement significantly improved the representation of the child in court as a result of one-on-one contact with both children and their care providers.
Children also benefitted by having more services ordered and implemented than those without advocates. Requests by CASA volunteers were met in four out of five cases because judges value their recommendations.
Finally, children involved with CASA are more likely to be adopted than those with other representation. They are also 50 percent less likely to go back into the foster-care system after their case is dismissed.
“There is a large misconception that these children are delinquents but they’re not. They are the victims in their homes and too often they become victims a second time when they go in foster care,” Thibaut said.
To prevent this vicious cycle, the state encourages reunification of the child with his or her family if the situation is safe and beneficial. CASA serves as a means to that end.
Role of the Volunteer
As officers of the court, advocates change children’s lives forever. CASA empowers citizens in the community to make a difference by donating their time to children who need it most.
“Demand for volunteers is constant. We always have new children who need help so we always need volunteers,” Thibaut said.
Judges appoint CASA volunteers to one case at a time and ask that volunteers commit to staying with the child until he or she is placed in a safe and permanent home.
Throughout the case, CASA volunteers submit court reports to judges and make recommendations based on the child’s most salient needs. Such needs include court-provided dental services.
Although advocates act as legal entities in court, they do not serve as legal representation or replace social workers. Rather, they offer their children a sense of stability during a tumultuous time in their life.
Thibault also said there is a misperception over how much time is spent in court with a CASA child. In reality, a case appears in court only about two times per year. Volunteers work with all parties involved in the child’s life for most of their time with CASA, not just the court system.
Although they are encouraged to meet with their child at least two times per month, many volunteers often spend more time with their child. Nearly 60 percent of the volunteers in 2007 were full-time employees who found time to give to a greater cause.
One-on-one time with the volunteer and their child builds relationships that can last even after the program ends. For example, the Southern University freshman recalls her time spent at the mall and movies with her volunteer.
“I know we can talk about anything,” the CASA grad said about her volunteer. “She is really more like a mother-figure to me.”
Getting close with these children is important, but the organization encourages advocates to set boundaries in order to remain objective when it is time to go to court.
The Capital Area CASA Association serves over 280 children in the Baton Rouge area, but there is a gap between the demographics of volunteers and children. Nearly 87 percent of the children involved with CASA are African American as opposed to 33 percent of the volunteers.
During court proceedings and trials in their lives, children risk losing their sense of identity and culture. To combat this trend, CASA is actively seeking to diversify their volunteer base by recruiting people who are more reflective of the population of children they serve. African American male advocates are high in demand.
CASA children have individual needs, and advocates with similar experiences have a deeper understanding of influential cultural desires. A meaningful connection with the child will garner even greater rewards for all.
How to Make a Difference
CASA volunteers come from many places, with different backgrounds and unique qualities. No prior experience is necessary to become a volunteer, but one must have a desire to work with children and help them get into a better home.
“Anyone can handle it,” Thibaut said. She recently completed the training.
After training is complete, CASA provides hands-on training for volunteers, as well as continuous support throughout the case. Advocates are asked to follow a case for at least a year, or preferably until the case is closed.
Any small amount of time makes a big difference in the life of a child.
The CASA graduate offers some advice for those who are involved with this program: “Let your child know there is always going to be someone there for them. Even if they are pulling away from you, remember that some situations are worse than others. And try to teach them the values they didn’t have the opportunity to learn at home. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
If you are interested in being a will that will help a children find their way, call the Capital Area CASA Association at 379-8598, or visit them at www.casabr.org.
*For privacy reasons, this name is omitted.
By Madeline Casey
“I was about to pull my hair out! My high school didn’t send my transcripts to Southern University and… freshman orientation was the next week. Thankfully, my Auntie drove me to New Orleans and helped me get it all straightened out.”
An eighteen-year-old biology freshman at Southern University recalls this experience from just a few months ago. This student is a CASA graduate and her CASA volunteer, a woman she calls “Auntie,” drove her 160 miles to make sure she could attend college.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a nationwide program that recruits volunteers to speak on behalf of neglected children in juvenile court and child protection proceedings. These children are given a chance for a hopeful future through their CASA advocates.
CASA’s MissionFoster families and courts are both overworked and under-funded. CASA strives to relieve pressure on the system through their trained volunteers. Advocates monitor a foster child’s case, talk to anyone involved in the child’s life and try to find out the facts so they can fully understand the situation.
Most importantly, CASA volunteers try to look at the case from the child’s point of view and communicate that to judges in court. They act as officers of the court and become a voice for children.
“Children trust their CASA volunteers to tell the judge what he or she needs to know,” says Emily Thibaut, Recruitment Coordinator at Baton Rouge’s Capital Area CASA Association.
Those who are not fortunate enough to be matched with an advocate only have a public defender to speak on their behalf and often slip through the cracks of the system. Judges use CASA as a reliable source of information who can be trusted to do what is best for each child.
“Going into it, I didn’t know anything about the program but it was nice to know somebody was on my side,” the recent CASA graduate and Southern University student* said.
She said her Auntie and mother have been the biggest influences in her life. Now in her first semester of college, she plans to have a successful career as a radiologist and eventually have a family of her own.
“CASA helped me move forward with my life,” she said.
Proven Success
The Systematic Review of the Impact of Court Appointed Special Advocates analyzed the influence of CASA in the lives of the children they’ve worked with in the past. According to the 2004 study, CASA involvement significantly improved the representation of the child in court as a result of one-on-one contact with both children and their care providers.
Children also benefitted by having more services ordered and implemented than those without advocates. Requests by CASA volunteers were met in four out of five cases because judges value their recommendations.
Finally, children involved with CASA are more likely to be adopted than those with other representation. They are also 50 percent less likely to go back into the foster-care system after their case is dismissed.
“There is a large misconception that these children are delinquents but they’re not. They are the victims in their homes and too often they become victims a second time when they go in foster care,” Thibaut said.
To prevent this vicious cycle, the state encourages reunification of the child with his or her family if the situation is safe and beneficial. CASA serves as a means to that end.
Role of the Volunteer
As officers of the court, advocates change children’s lives forever. CASA empowers citizens in the community to make a difference by donating their time to children who need it most.
“Demand for volunteers is constant. We always have new children who need help so we always need volunteers,” Thibaut said.
Judges appoint CASA volunteers to one case at a time and ask that volunteers commit to staying with the child until he or she is placed in a safe and permanent home.
Throughout the case, CASA volunteers submit court reports to judges and make recommendations based on the child’s most salient needs. Such needs include court-provided dental services.
Although advocates act as legal entities in court, they do not serve as legal representation or replace social workers. Rather, they offer their children a sense of stability during a tumultuous time in their life.
Thibault also said there is a misperception over how much time is spent in court with a CASA child. In reality, a case appears in court only about two times per year. Volunteers work with all parties involved in the child’s life for most of their time with CASA, not just the court system.
Although they are encouraged to meet with their child at least two times per month, many volunteers often spend more time with their child. Nearly 60 percent of the volunteers in 2007 were full-time employees who found time to give to a greater cause.
One-on-one time with the volunteer and their child builds relationships that can last even after the program ends. For example, the Southern University freshman recalls her time spent at the mall and movies with her volunteer.
“I know we can talk about anything,” the CASA grad said about her volunteer. “She is really more like a mother-figure to me.”
Getting close with these children is important, but the organization encourages advocates to set boundaries in order to remain objective when it is time to go to court.
The Capital Area CASA Association serves over 280 children in the Baton Rouge area, but there is a gap between the demographics of volunteers and children. Nearly 87 percent of the children involved with CASA are African American as opposed to 33 percent of the volunteers.
During court proceedings and trials in their lives, children risk losing their sense of identity and culture. To combat this trend, CASA is actively seeking to diversify their volunteer base by recruiting people who are more reflective of the population of children they serve. African American male advocates are high in demand.
CASA children have individual needs, and advocates with similar experiences have a deeper understanding of influential cultural desires. A meaningful connection with the child will garner even greater rewards for all.
How to Make a Difference
CASA volunteers come from many places, with different backgrounds and unique qualities. No prior experience is necessary to become a volunteer, but one must have a desire to work with children and help them get into a better home.
“Anyone can handle it,” Thibaut said. She recently completed the training.
After training is complete, CASA provides hands-on training for volunteers, as well as continuous support throughout the case. Advocates are asked to follow a case for at least a year, or preferably until the case is closed.
Any small amount of time makes a big difference in the life of a child.
The CASA graduate offers some advice for those who are involved with this program: “Let your child know there is always going to be someone there for them. Even if they are pulling away from you, remember that some situations are worse than others. And try to teach them the values they didn’t have the opportunity to learn at home. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
If you are interested in being a will that will help a children find their way, call the Capital Area CASA Association at 379-8598, or visit them at www.casabr.org.
*For privacy reasons, this name is omitted.
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