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casa
court appointed special advocates connect / l o c a l p r o f i l e casa was founded in 1992, and since then, 1,200 community volunteers have provided a voice for 2,600 abused children
. ?ese children with a casa volunteer receive more services while in foster care, are less likely to re-enter foster care, and are more likely to be adopted. meagan explains how valuable the advocate is, not only for the child, but for the entire child protective services system, ?we are the boots on the ground. we can be places and collect data that the case
workers may not be able to do, and then we work as a team with the caseworkers so that no child slips through the cracks.? liz betz, executive director for 24 years, agrees, ?dcfs has huge caseloads, whereas a casa volunteer is assigned to one case. before casa comes along, these children have already been through something horrible, and have been removed from their home, which is so traumatic.? building relationships with kids who have experienced trauma is only one of the many responsibilities of casa volunteers. after orientation, the volunteer goes through a 30-hour classroom course, then a two-hour court observation, an interview, and numerous background checks. once they are cleared to take a case, they are assigned to one of four supervisors who go to court with the volunteers and work one-on-one with them throughout a case. meagan has worked on six cases in her time with casa and has this process down to a science. once a case becomes available with their chosen demographic, their supervisor calls and provides a little information about the case so the volunteer can accept or decline. if they accept, then they meet with the supervisor to go over the case with the confidential documents. ?en, they make an action plan to contact ?i realized i could advocate for a child without becoming a lawyer, and that?s pretty awesome!? meagan harrison, casa volunteer for eight years, exclaims. by joy holden you?ve probably heard about casa on the radio during their playhouse giveaway or maybe on a billboard, but you may have no idea what the advocates actually do. ?e truth is, this organization represents the most vulnerable and overlooked lives in our city, foster children. court appointed special advocates are professional volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to abused children. ?ey work directly with dcfs caseworkers, attorneys, foster parents, families, and of course, the children, to recommend the best permanent home for that child. 48 brparents.com | april 2017
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