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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2017)
August 2017 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 5 CASA: Court volunteers for the most vulnerable By JENNIFER COLTON Casa may mean “home” in Span- ish, but another definition can forge a way to help children find one. In the foster care system, CASA – Court-Appointed Special Advocate – volunteers serve as the liaison between a child and the courts. A CASA volunteer is assigned to a specific child or sibling group and may attend court hearings, school meetings, and other functions on behalf of the child. “The big thing is that they show up for court and are a voice – ears and eyes for the youth,” said Jesus Rome, CASA coordinator for Uma- tilla and Morrow counties. “They advocate for the youth.” CASA began in 1977 when a Seattle judge had the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for abused and neglected children. The program has grown to cover almost every state and the District of Columbia. In Oregon, almost 2,000 CASA volunteers serve more than 5,000 children each year. Nationwide, the numbers are about 77,000 volunteers help- ing 250,000 children. In Umatilla and Mor- row counties, CASA is run through Umatilla-Morrow Head Start, and the CASA of Eastern Ore- gon program serves Baker, Malheur, and Union counties. In Grant and Harney counties, it’s run through the education service district. The management may be differ- HEATHER A. BACON, PH.D. & JENNIFER K. COOPER, PSY.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologists Helping parents discover new ways to shape behavior and reconnect with children. Currently accepting new patients. Most insurance and private pay accepted. 860 W. Elm Ave., Suite 204, Hermiston, OR 97838 541-289-7777 • hermistonpsych.com ent, but the program is the same: Once a CASA volunteer joins a child’ or teen’s case, they remain a constant throughout the parade of strangers, including judges, lawyers, foster parents and case workers. Rome said the goal is to have an advocate for each child in foster care; however, high numbers of children mean that isn’t always pos- sible at the level they’d like. He re- ports that earlier this year they had 160 youth in foster care in Umatilla and Morrow counties – and only 40 advocates. “We’d love every child that comes into the foster care system to have an advocate,” he said. “But because there’s such a need … we have to pick the highest need youth.” Of those 160 children and teens in foster care, 56 were identified as highest need, meaning they had a parent missing or incarcerated or parents with severe mental health issues. Rome said most children want to return to their biological parents, but if that isn’t possible, the CASA volunteer can help find the child a good home with either another relative or through adop- tion. Now dedicated vol- unteer, Steve Frazier of Hermiston took the CASA training just to learn what the program was about. That led Frazier to become an advocate for two boys, a position he had for two years. As the boys began to move out of the foster system, he took on two more fami- lies. “It was a wonderful experience,” he reports. “It was just rewarding to be able to make a small difference for them.” Frazier says being a CASA isn’t for everyone, it sometimes takes thick skin, but for anyone with a de- sire to help, there is a great need. “I say try it and see if you like it.” Becoming a CASA volunteer requires a deep interest in vol- unteering and serving children. Potential volunteers go through an application and interview, pass a fingerprint and criminal history background check and complete 36 hours of training and orientation. After those pieces are in place, the volunteer is sworn in as an officer of the court and meets with the case manager for a case assign- ment. If you would like more informa- tion on becoming a CASA volunteer, you can contact Jesus Rome at 541-564-6878 or by email at casa@ umchs.org. “It’s different than being a foster parent,” Rome said. “It’s a wonder- ful program if you have time for it.” ________ Jennifer Colton is news director of KOHU and KQFM, and mother of three, based in Pendleton.
