CASA gives children a voice in court system
In a child's mind, few things are better than a hero.
Maybe it's a winged fairy who rights wrongs with a magic wand. Maybe it's a cape-wearing strongman who holds off danger with one hand and grabs the bad guys with the other.
Or maybe it's a seemingly normal stranger who stands up for you when your world is crumbling and no one hears your voice.
CASA of DuPage County gives kids that kind of hero. The organization - Court Appointed Special Advocates - provides volunteers who protect children and look out for their best interests as the juvenile and family court system works through issues of abuse and neglect.
CASA advocates commit to working with one child at a time for the entire duration the child's case is in the courts. For a child separated from his parents, moving among foster homes and being shuffled among social workers' case loads, the one person who stands by your side through it all truly is your hero.
On Friday, Oct. 30, CASA of DuPage will celebrate such heroes and honor two people who have gone above and beyond for children. The Super Heroes/Champions of Hope Gala begins at 7 p.m. at Le Jardin at Cantigny Park.
As the organization prepare for the gala, Interim Executive Director Mary Chicoine tells us more about how CASA champions children's rights.
Q. What is your mission?
A. The mission of CASA of DuPage County is to recruit, train and support volunteer citizen advocates to effectively speak to the best interests of abused, neglected and dependent children in DuPage County's juvenile and family court system.
We believe that every child has a right to a safe, permanent, nurturing home.
Q. How do you work toward accomplishing that goal?
A. By bringing committed citizens from the community to become volunteer child advocates within the child welfare system, CASA fills a vital service gap in DuPage County. Court personnel, social workers and attorneys are always assigned to work on a multitude of cases and therefore must allocate their time accordingly. The CASA volunteer, on the other hand, is usually involved with only one case at a time and can devote considerable time and energy to researching, monitoring and evaluating the extent to which a child's case is progressing and that child's needs are being met while in the foster care system.
An advocate along with his or her advocate supervisor provides the court with more detailed, comprehensive and personalized information than is otherwise possible, facilitating quality decision-making that is in the best interests of the child.
Another significant aspect of CASA's involvement in abuse, neglect and dependency cases in the court system is that this direct advocacy serves to expedite the decision-making process so that permanent solutions regarding the child's placement and treatment needs are identified and implemented sooner. Of considerable note is the fact that during the life of a case, more often than not, a child's caseworker will change as will their foster placement (resulting in changes in schools, friends, neighborhoods, service providers), allowing for a significant loss of momentum in the work that is being done. The trained advocate commits to stay with the case to which he or she is assigned until case closure. This provides a stable and consistent relationship for the child in the system, the importance of which cannot be overstated. It also assures there will be a bridge of information between past and future service providers, minimizing service interruptions and resultant time lost.
Each volunteer applicant must complete an application and submit to a criminal history check, CANTS check, reference checks and personal interview with CASA staff and is fingerprinted. Advocates are screened for their objectivity, open-mindedness, communication skills, ability to work with a variety of people, willingness and ability to learn and the ability to serve during the entire life of the case, usually 18 to 36 months. CASA program staff conducts a 35-hour pre-service training class for applicants who are accepted for the training, which includes five hours of court observation. Once pre-service training is successfully completed, advocates are sworn in as "Friends of the Court" in a formal ceremony facilitated by designated judges of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court. All advocates are then required to achieve an additional 12 hours of continuing education annually on topics relative to abused, neglected and/or dependent children.
Direct supervision and case management support are also critical to the effective performance of an advocate. The volunteer advocate is directly supervised by a CASA advocate supervisor and is evaluated yearly. Once assigned a case, the advocate serves as a fact-finder, facilitator, monitor and reporter.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. CASA serves the abused, neglected and dependent children in DuPage County.
Q. When and why did the organization start? How has it grown?
A. CASA of DuPage County was founded in 1993 when it entered into a written agreement with the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court to provide specialized advocacy services. As part of the formal agreement, the local CASA program was organized in compliance with the National Standards for CASA.
In the first year of operation, CASA of DuPage served a total of 33 children with 15 trained volunteer advocates. During the fiscal year ending in June, CASA was able to provide advocacy services for 338 children with 156 assigned advocates. The dramatic increase in cases has been due to the reputation CASA has developed over time within the DuPage County court and child welfare systems. CASA is looked upon favorably by juvenile judges who readily appoint CASA to 100 percent of the abuse and neglect cases as they enter the system. The judges rely on advocates, in their role as Friends of the Court, to be independent voices for the children, producing fact-based, objectively written reports. Each report assists the judge in making well-informed decisions that will result in neglected and abused children being placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. Our greatest success is reflected in research performed by the national office. When CASA is assigned to a case, the child is in the court system approximately six months less. In addition, the children receive many more services and support because someone is watching out for their best interest.
Published efficacy studies show that children who are assigned CASAs are more likely to experience fewer foster placements while they are in the court system and, at the end of a 24-month period in the court system, are more likely to be returned to their natural families or adopted (Child Welfare, 2000).
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that investment in CASA representation of one child will pay 40 times over by providing intervention that reduces the likelihood that an abused and neglected child will become a juvenile delinquent, a violent criminal or homeless adult.
The involvement of CASA within the juvenile court system fosters community awareness and involvement to engage the public in efforts to prevent child abuse. Abused and neglected children are at very high risk for future problems in life, confirming the continuous need to recruit and train new advocates to ensure that no child will stand alone and that each child is afforded every opportunity to become a responsible member of society.
Q. What challenges does the organization currently face?
A. The biggest challenge is continuing to meet the needs of the growing number of children in the court system and securing the funding to support the program since this is a free service to the courts.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about the organization?
A. Because CASA's work is performed by volunteers at no cost to the taxpayers, it is a highly cost-effective way to improve the system's ability to protect children. When a child achieves permanency and the case closes, the court cost to the taxpayer is alleviated. During fiscal year 2009, sworn volunteers provided more than 15,000 hours of advocacy, all of which was at no cost to DuPage County taxpayers.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. We always need financial support to fulfill our mission.
As described above, without volunteers we would not be able to fulfill our mission, without volunteers we would have no program.
Vital statistics
Contacts per year: CASA is assigned to 100 percent of the cases of abused, neglected and dependent children in the DuPage County juvenile and family court system; last year served 338 children, a 47 percent increase over the previous year
Annual budget: $440,000
Funding: Foundations, corporations, service organizations, individuals and United Way
Employees: Four full time, two part time
Volunteers: About 160 volunteers provided more than 15,000 hours of service in the last year
Wish list: Financial contributions
To donate: 505 N. County Farm Road, Third Floor, Suite C, Wheaton, IL 60187
Info
Phone: (630) 221-0889
E-mail: info@dupagecasa.org
Web site: dupagecasa.org
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What: </b>Super Heroes/Champions of Hope Gala</p> <p class="News"><b>Why: </b>Fundraiser supports Court Appointed Special Advocates of DuPage County, which provides volunteers to speak on behalf of abused and neglected children in the court system</p> <p class="News"><b>When: </b>7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Oct. 30</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Le Jardin at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $150, includes cocktails, dinner, dancing </p> <p class="News"><b>Details:</b> Music by Prairie Surfers; raffle and a live auction</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 221-0889, ext. 304, or <a href="mailto:joan@dupagecasa.org">joan@dupagecasa.org</a></p> <p class="breakhead">Honorees</p> <p class="News">• Betty Bradshaw, Friend of the Year</p> <p class="News">• Judge Thomas J. Riggs, Lifetime Achievement Award</p>