Most of us have a general knowledge of the foster care system, but what most people cannot fully understand is how a child feels, and how being removed from home, family and community can be traumatizing when placed in foster care.
Children need a sense of security, safety, and permanence to thrive. They also need a sense of belonging and an adult they can trust who can provide guidance for the future. But the difficult decisions that must be made about the safest place for a child to live are complicated and emotional.
Often, children feel afraid, unheard, and overlooked amid a loud, chaotic, and overwhelming child welfare system. They feel alone and isolated from all that is familiar. CASA directly addresses these needs and so much more, to help provide the stability, support, and connection that children in foster care so desperately need.
CASA was founded by a Seattle judge in 1977 when he realized he needed more in-depth information about the children whose lives he held in his hands. He enlisted the help of trusted community volunteers to gather information and report back with recommendations to enable him to make more informed decisions regarding the safety and needs of the children, and ensure the safest, most permanent placement possible. The program was so successful that it spread across the nation.
Today there are almost 1,000 programs across the nation and 74 in Texas. Big Country CASA was number 71, established in Taylor County in 2013 under the umbrella of Regional Victims Crisis Center at the approval of the Honorable Aleta Hacker, the 326th District Family Court Judge at that time. Big Country CASA accepted its first case in April of 2014, and became an independent non-profit organization in September 2015.
In 2022, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reported that 38,294 children were taken into the care of CPS, and 631 of those children were in Taylor County. Let that sink in–631 children from our community removed from their homes and placed into the foster care system in 2022. Big Country CASA is currently serving approximately 53% of that total each year.
This spring marks ten years of service for the children of Taylor County. During that time, Big Country CASA has served a total of 1,007 children. The mission of Big Country CASA going into the next ten years is to grow the volunteer base to serve 100% of all children who need an advocate.
“While our growth in 10-years has been exponential, our mission is to serve every child from Taylor County in the foster care system, but we aren’t there yet,” said Lee Ann Millender, Big Country CASA Executive Director. “We are continually striving to increase our capacity to serve more children, to expand the advocacy we provide and to do all we can to improve the lives of the children, their families, and the foster families opening their hearts and homes to these children.”
CASA programs are volunteer based with staff providing training, supervision, and support to ensure that each volunteer is equipped to serve in the court-appointed role of “Guardian ad Litem” for the children they are assigned. In this capacity, volunteer advocates are charged to represent the “best interests of the child.”
“CASA volunteers are from all walks of life, from diverse backgrounds, and with a wide range of life experiences. But they all share one thing: a desire to make a difference in the life of a child. They are just everyday people from all professions–retirees, teachers, professionals, or stay-at-home parents. They are people who want to do something greater than themselves to make a significant impact in our community,” said Dana Ward, Big Country CASA Recruitment Coordinator.
CASA volunteers usually start with no experience or knowledge of the foster care system, but all have a willingness to learn. Through a combination of 32 hours of classroom and independent course work and 3 hours of courtroom observations, volunteers are extensively trained, and then supported every step of the way by CASA staff. After completing the selection and training process, they are sworn in by the court and are then ready to be assigned a case by the judge.
Duties of an advocate vary depending on the age and needs of the child(ren) assigned, but the primary responsibility is to work for the best interests of each individual child and make recommendations to the court about the child’s specific needs, their current placement, the long-term permanency plan and ensure the child’s voice is heard. Volunteers may spend anywhere from 5 to 15 hours a month on their case and must be willing to commit to the length of a case which averages 12-18 months. Advocates build relationships with the children and communicate with all the parties involved in the child’s life such as teachers, doctors, counselors, and foster parents.
“CASA is unique in that volunteers are usually assigned one case at a time, allowing them the ability to spend more time researching the case and, as a result, are often more informed on the intricacies of the case as well as more closely connected with the child. This allows the advocate to be a valuable collaborator with the child’s case worker and attorney, giving all parties better insight to the child and their best interests,” said Millender.
She went on to add, “CASA volunteers do not replace the case worker or the child’s attorney. We are another caring party working together for the best possible outcome, not only for the child, but hopefully for the family. Even when policy, procedure or opinions may prevent the parties from agreeing on services, placement, or desired outcome, having a fully engaged and collaborative team provides each child with the best opportunity for a safe and better future.”
Long time CASA volunteer and community leader Jean Goodnight puts it this way, “The foster care system is a flawed system in general and unfortunately, the children are the ones who must live with the consequences of the system. But as a child’s advocate, I can work together with the other parties on the case to do our best to ensure these children not only survive but thrive by experiencing some healing and hope for a better future. But it takes all of us doing our part.”
Big Country CASA’s 141 current advocates do just that every day. One hundred more trained volunteers would make it possible for CASA to reach the goal of serving every Taylor County child in the foster care system. CASA needs more people like Jean: caring, committed volunteers – from any profession or stage of life – who are willing to help a child with a “chance” for a brighter future.
Jean added, “While I know I, alone, cannot have an impact on every child who is in foster care, I know assuredly I can have significant impact on one child at a time.”
If you are interested in being part of our CASA team “changing a child’s story”, for more information, contact Dana at info@bigcountrycasa.org , call 325-677-6448 or visit www.bigcountrycasa.
Submitted By Big Country CASA
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