Bob and I joined St. Mark about six years ago. We are retired and live on five acres near Johnson Point Road, where we enjoy time with four grandsons, three horses, and two dogs.
Through the years I worked for Pierce County, I learned about many great opportunities to volunteer at Juvenile Court. People help in diversion programs for young offenders with one or few minor offenses, and others help in tutoring or teaching crafts to youths in detention. One creative woman baked a birthday cake for each youth who was in detention on his or her birthday, but the opportunity that grabbed my attention was the CASA program – Court Appointed Special Advocates – where trained volunteers are appointed to speak for children who are in dependency proceedings.
When the State removes a child from parents because of abuse or neglect, the child begins a process that is apt to last two years, encompassing many hearings, investigations, and treatment programs. Depending on the situation, the child is placed with other relatives or in a foster home. If parents want to be reunited with their children, they will generally be offered a combination of drug and mental health treatments, parenting education, and supervised visitation, all designed to improve their parenting abilities. If they don’t want reunification or it’s found that they can’t safely parent the child, their parental rights are terminated and the child is available for adoption. Throughout this legal process, the State is represented by an attorney, and each parent has an attorney, but there was no one to simply advocate for the child, the most impacted party. Judges thus established CASA programs to assure they received independent information about the child’s needs before making critical decisions on parents’ rights and children’s safety. CASA volunteers make regular visits with the child throughout the process, talk with the parents, foster parents, and relatives, and obtain information from relevant schools, medical providers, those who provide treatment services to the parents – anyone who can help shed light on what’s best for the child. The CASA reports to the judge in quarterly hearings and recommends what steps are best for the child and what needs are apparent.
CASA volunteers choose what children they want to work with – children in dependency range from newborns to 18 years old, from singles to large families. Some choose to work with one child; others serve many kids at a time. The program does ask a volunteer to commit to stay with a child throughout his or her dependency process; until they are either successfully reunified with parents or relatives, or adopted. The CASA is often the only consistent person the child has – foster homes, social workers, judges, and attorneys may change, but the CASA stays with the child until the case is resolved.
I decided years ago that being a CASA was the way I could have the greatest impact on the lives of children who are caught up in terrible family abuse or neglect situations, through no fault of their own. Thus, I applied at Thurston County Superior Court the month before I retired last May. If you’re interested, check out the program at www.co.thurston.wa.us/fjc/casa.htm or call the CASA office at 360-709-3137. CASA staff offer the 30-hour training about three times a year. (Dan B just completed training as well!) The staff and training are terrific. I currently advocate for two children, a 3-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, who have become important parts of my life. Certainly, the dependency journey and even the outcomes can be frustrating, but I believe it is a powerful way to serve children, families, and our community.