“The drive that they have to make a difference in a child’s life, and to see the court supports us and makes a difference in their lives, that’s what keeps me going,” she said.
Greene County Juvenile Court uses CASA volunteers to advocate for the best interest of children in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases. The advocate’s primary responsibilities are providing information to the judge, investigating the circumstances of abuse and neglect, monitoring court proceedings and services provided to the family, and making recommendations based on the child’s best interest.
Cases can last several years, but once appointed, CASA volunteers work with their assigned children, often until they are adopted or emancipated at age 18. For some kids, CASA volunteers may be the only consistent, stable adult presence in their lives.
Since the program started in 1996 under the direction of Judge Robert Hutchinson and Jeanne Porter, CASA has served over 3,100 children, with volunteer hours valued at an estimated $4.5 million. However, those in the juvenile justice system say that CASA volunteers give hope to children and families in ways that cannot be quantified in dollars and cents.
“I understand that at one point we were taught children should be seen and not heard. Well, in Greene County, all our children should be heard as well as seen,” said Magistrate Cynthia Thompson.
Currently there are 46 local CASA programs in Ohio serving children in 57 counties. In other counties and across the country, the same work is also done by attorneys or social workers. However, CASA volunteers not only supplement the work of legal professionals, but provide additional care for children who may not understand the legal process.
“There are many very good paid people in this business, however a CASA volunteer is always different for two reasons,” said Doug Stephens, executive director of Ohio CASA. “They will never be overwhelmed by too many cases or have to prioritize the cases on their caseload. Secondly, the youth we serve quickly learn that the CASA volunteer is volunteering their time and that is important to the children. Although the quality of the work could be the same, the fact that a community member is taking their own time to help them is frequently mentioned by the children as a hopeful signal to them.”
Stephens said that he hopes to one day implement such programs in all 88 Ohio counties because of those benefits, but such decisions are left to juvenile court judges themselves.
“Judges are, and should be, the deciding factor on whether a CASA program exists in their jurisdiction,” Stephens said. “The judge is CASA’s primary customer, as we work to collect for the judge as much information available about the child and family, and make objective recommendations in the best interest of the child. Until a judge witnesses for themselves, or are convinced by a peer, that a CASA volunteer is valuable, some cannot imagine the advantage.”
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