Mississippi County's branch of CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, 2nd Judicial District, is desperately in need of volunteers.
CASA volunteers become officials of the court, and volunteer an average of 10 hours per month to serve as special advocates in court for children who are part of the foster care system. Some children in the system are awaiting re-placement with their birth families, and others are waiting for adoption, but all children placed in the system spend an average of a year to 18 months in foster care.
"It is very easy for these children to slip through the cracks, " says Carla Borden, executive director of the 2nd Judicial District branch. "If someone isn't there to maintain contact with the child and their families, and be the eyes and ears for the court, willing to speak for that child, it can take much longer than it should to find them a safe and permanent home."
CASA, founded in 1977, has a long history of helping everyday citizens become court-appointed advocates for children. According to the organization's mission statement, the main directive of CASA is to "recruit, train, and support court appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children in the foster care system until they reach safe and permanent homes."
Volunteers complete six hours of classroom work and 24 hours of independent study in order to become a qualified officer of the court. They are then allowed to choose which child's case they wish to work on, and are asked to commit to stay with that case until it is over, which usually takes about a year, according to Borden. The time requirement is an average of 10 hours per month, used in visiting the child at school, contacting them and their family on a regular basis, gathering facts, submitting written reports, and appearing in court on behalf of the child.
The testimony of a CASA volunteer is always "greatly valued" by judges in child welfare cases, says Borden. She says that there are children in Mississippi County who have been in the foster care system for three years, and who desperately need an advocate to help move their case along.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or seeking further information are encouraged to contact Carla Borden at 870-935-1099, or visit the CASA website at neacasa.org.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com