How the courts work
This court will determine if home is a safe place for the child, and if not, the child will be put in a safe place. The court-supplied advocates for a child—guardian ad litem or attorney ad litem—need somebody out there other than the social worker to do investigative work in the field. This is why CASA volunteers are so important.
Her experience with CASA
Prof. Kennedy is on the board for the statewide organization and is a law professor at Mississippi College School of Law.
Prof. Kennedy became aware of CASA and saw it in action when she was teaching at the law school in the early 2000s. CASA existed in the community at that time and many of her law school students served as CASA advocates. They said it was the most meaningful thing they ever did. “CASA is a vital, invaluable part of the youth court process,” she says.
A CASA advocate is different from guardian ad litem, who is really only there for the purpose of litigation. CASA advocates follow a child for years, through permanency and often maintain relationships after that.Prof. Kennedy went to a national CASA conference several years back in Anaheim, TX. She was most touched talking with teens who had CASA workers in their lives. The CASA worker had impacted these teens’ lives more than anyone else.
The CASA worker was:
- A consistent person in their life
- Someone they could always turn to
- Someone that was always checking in to make sure they got the services they needed
When these kids are in foster care for years and years, they get moved around and have the potential to get lost in the system. These are often already at-risk youth. These children deserve this help. They deserve someone to follow their story, to care about their needs, and be trained to know how to get them the services that they might need.
CASA as an equal participant in court
The CASA worker’s voice is held in equal regard to attorneys, social workers, etc. Judges respect the opinions of CASA workers in high esteem.
A social worker’s mission is reunification in youth court. That may ultimately be best for the child, but they’re not individually looking out for the child’s best interest. They’re looking at the family as a whole, whereas CASA is pinpointed solely on the child.
How can people support CASA?
Become a volunteer advocate. Do you think you can be the voice for the child?
Characteristics of a good advocate:
- Heart for children
- Wants to make a difference in a child’s life
- Open minded
- Non judgmental
- Trustworthy
- Active listener
- Passionate
- Not dismissive of child
Convincing the court system
If every youth court judge understood what CASA is and what it does, they would all want it. The judge can’t know everything that’s going on without the investigative arm. Judges are presented with the state argument and the parent argument during litigation, which doesn’t always provide the clearest picture for the child’s best interest.