CASA: Advocating for our most vulnerable children

Sponsored by YWCA Clark County and Clark County CASA Imagine that you are a six-year-old child. The state has taken you away from your family because it was deemed an unsafe environment. You may be living with relatives now, or in foster care. Amidst this upheaval, you find yourself in a strange home, perhaps a new school, possibly separated from siblings, and fearful about what comes next.

CASAs, (Court Appointed Special Advocates), are there to speak up for you and provide a consistent adult who is advocating only for you.

The court appoints someone from CASA, a local nonprofit, to represent a child’s interests in the role of Guardian ad Litem, as required by Washington state law. Experts define a Guardian ad Litem as an objective, impartial person the court appoints to act as a representative for minor children in a custody proceeding.

Founded in 1977, CASA provides highly trained volunteers to serve as advocates for children who are in state care as a result of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. CASA volunteers make recommendations to the court based on the needs and best interests of the child.

Our volunteers are a child’s consistent adult

Can a volunteer truly represent a child’s
interests in the often bewildering justice
system?

These volunteers can and do so successfully every week in Clark County. Today, the program is seeking to build out its volunteer base by adding another 70 CASA volunteers to its roster. The information and sign-up forms for the role are located on CASA’s website (casaclarkcounty.org). Last year, Clark County CASA served 760 children with 130 volunteers and seven staff advocates.

“We need to reduce caseloads of staff by increasing our volunteers so the children can have more individual attention,” says Sheryl Thierry, CASA program director.

But, she cautions, people need to do a serious gut check before signing on.

“Someone who is successful as aCASA brings very special qualities to the position,” she says. “It is a tremendous commitment in terms of the time and the emotion you will invest in the work. But for those who are right for the role, the rewards far outweigh the challenges.”

A significant time and emotional commitment

CASAs (the correct term for these volunteers) undergo a thorough interview, background check, and orientation by the CASA Volunteer Specialist. They undergo 50 hours of training before they are sworn in as an officer of the court. They are then paired with a CASA staff member as their coach and supervisor who spends several weeks providing mentoring and opportunities to shadow them on cases before being paired with a child. Supervision and mentoring continues throughout the CASA’s time with
the program to ensure they can fearlessly and consistently advocate on behalf of the children they are  paired with, and become that one consistent adult presence in their life.

The time commitment is considerable. The CASA Program provides 40 hours of program-specific training and 13 hours of YWCA core training to prepare a volunteer for the role. Volunteers accepted into the program must complete 12 hours of in-service training annually. Further, they are asked to make a two year commitment to the position to help maintain that consistency for the children. Monthly, a volunteer can expect to spend anywhere from five to 12 hours on a case, including a visit with the child, attending meetings, and appearing in court.