CASA means court appointed special advocate for foster children. In most states we are volunteers. Our job is to give children in foster care their own voice in court.
Awhile back I received a letter from my local CASA director telling of over 100 children, in my county alone, that currently did not have CASA support. Imagine that number multiplied by every county in the United States and you will get the picture. As more people slide into poverty, more families are unraveling, just as government agencies are cutting back the system is being flooded. It is a nightmare for all concerned. I am here to ask those of you who might find this work interesting to at least look into it. We really need more people so alot of kids don't become collateral damage of this recession.
As a CASA I operate as the eyes and ears for the judge, and speak for the child or children involved in the case. I am an independent voice. In the court room my position is between the parents and CPS social worker. This is a really great representation of where I stand, my agenda is the best interests of the child and my job is often to remind everyone else that is the reason we are there.
There is no one that knows me that does not realize I am not very trusting of anything government. I can't help it, it's in my genetic code. I watched the down ward spirial of many classmates in grade school as they were shuttled from foster home to foster home. It was with this in mind that I decided to become involved if I could help one child then it would worth it.
I expected a system filled with pompous social workers and foster parents in it for the money. I found something very different, alot of good and intelligent people who give their jobs everything they have but are working in a system that is imperfect and overwhelming at best.
Being a social worker in this day and age is tough. I have one case at a time. The last social worker I worked with had forty cases on her plate, that is 1/2 day per month per case to manage the lives of these children and their parents let alone investigate the circumstances. Alot slips under the radar of the social worker, both good and bad, just because they lack hours in a day. Part of what I do is to find what they have been missing and point it out. The CASA probably knows more about the case than anyone else, they are often the only ones that have heard all sides.
It is my responsibility to earn the trust of to my young friend, talk to them and find out what life looks like from his or her perspective. Evaluate the foster home and their ability to be a longterm placement or an adoptive home if it becomes necessary, talk to the parents, encourage them to make the changes necessary to regain custody. Hunt down other relatives such as grandparents, uncles and aunts looking for a place where this child might find a good home that will allow them to thrive in the future. Provide information to help them find services and cheer them on. Check their progress, investigate descrepancies. One family at a time. It is also my duty to stand up in court and tell the judge what I have learned. That my efforts make a difference is without question. I have been told so by all parties at various times.
My mandate is to attempt to reunite the family if at all possible. If this cannot happen I am to try to place the child with a relative. If there is no other option then we attempt to find the best stranger adoption possible usually through a foster care to adoption placement. My experience has taught me that this mandate is very wise. Every family is different, the difference for a child between their own family and a new one can be like a ditch across the road no matter how wonderful the adoptive parents are.
I have yet to meet a child in the foster care system who wants anything more out of life than to be with his or her parents no matter how bad things were.
During a childs stay in foster care they may go through several foster homes, case workers, schools or daycares but I as their CASA remain. This one little bit of stability can mean the world to a child. It can make the difference between keeping hope that the situation will work out for them and losing hope that they will ever be happy again.
Below you will find a link to National CASA for more information and direction to your local program. Again, I urge you to consider it. There are alot of kids out there that really need someone to speak up for them, if you don't there is a chance no one will.
Helping Kids by Being a CASA