LAKE COUNTY ? The effort to help children through the court systems is moving forward in Lake County. The county”s burgeoning chapter of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program appointed an interim director in February and is seeking volunteers.
CASA pairs trained volunteers with children who have entered the court and foster care system because of abuse or neglect at home. Each advocate speaks up in court for the best interests of the child they represent based on a personal relationship developed with that child.
“There is an average of 263 children on the CPS (Child Protective Services) case load in any given month. Last month, 188 youth appeared in juvenile court, none of them having advocates to provide their voice in court. So this is a much-needed program in Lake County,” Lake County CASA interim director Susan Thompson said.
The figures were used to apply for a new program startup grant from National CASA for up to $40,000. An application was sent two weeks ago, and Thompson said she expects to hear back in July. The money will help Lake County CASA build a board of directors, establish policies and procedures, develop the program according to state and national best practices and pay for outreach and training for volunteers.
“We are establishing a board of directors and until such a time as we”ve grown and are ready to hire an executive director of the CASA program, I”ll act as the interim director,” Thompson said. “I”ve been a foster parent since ”94, and I was surprised when I got to Lake County and there was no CASA program.”
Thompson brought a foster child with her from Oregon in 2003, where she was the director of Gaia House, a recovery-based group home for juvenile delinquent girls through the Oregon Youth Authority. She held memberships on children”s advocacy boards in Oregon, as well.
“Initially, a judge in Seattle developed CASA because he didn”t have enough information. He had one story from the parents, one story from the social worker and another story from the foster parents, and he wanted an independent version of it from someone whose only vested interest in the child was to make their voice heard in the courts,” Lake County CASA steering committee member Barbara Lee said.
Thompson said between the group”s three monthly meetings, 22 volunteers have attended to help get the organization off the ground.
“It”s been an ebb and flow,” Thompson said. “We are actively recruiting for leadership.”
Sheryn Hildebrand, CASA director in Mendocino County and Lake County resident, will attend the Lake County CASA steering committee”s next meeting to talk about joining the committee and bringing policies and procedures as well as funding ideas to the table.
Hildebrand said getting support from local government is key. Mendocino CASA gets $50,000 annually from the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand said Mendocino”s program has more than 40 volunteers. Giving an example of 50 volunteers spending 20 hours with children each month for a year, Hildebrand said the equivalent cost to pay a social worker or attorney to spend the same hours with a child would be $600,000.
“Judges are not getting enough information because social workers are too busy, their case loads are way too high,” Hildebrand said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com
