As school starts, CASA seeks volunteers

Group that provides court advocates for children in foster system to host coffee event

CASA of Yuma County, an organization that trains volunteers to act as advocates for children who are in the foster care system, is looking for volunteers — and the timing is critical.

There are never enough court-appointed special advocates to represent every child who has been placed in foster care due to neglect or abuse, but the shortage gets even worse at the beginning of the school year.

“Because children are subject to less adult supervision over the summer, it’s not uncommon for reports of suspected abuse and neglect to spike at the start of the school year,” said CASA of Yuma County Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Sterenberg.

When claims are substantiated, children are often removed from their home situation and placed in foster care, with decisions about who they are placed with, and whether they can be reunified with their parents, left to the state’s overburdened system, she said.

Veronica Davis, coordinator for CASA of Yuma County, said volunteers

trained as “court-appointed special advocates” build relationships with these children, earning their trust and acting as his or her voice in front of judges whose decisions can shape a child’s future.

“Our ultimate goal is for every child in foster care to be assigned a CASA. However, with only 44 active CASA volunteers, only 20 percent of the children in Yuma County have someone to advocate for their best interests.

“That means that over 230 children do not have a caring adult to be their voice,” she said.

“Coffee with a CASA” will be held 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 29 at the Yuma County Main Library, providing community members with free coffee and a chance to meet with staff and current CASAs about the program and how they might be able to participate.

Davis said children in foster care who are assigned a CASA are given more services and resources, perform better in school, spend less time in foster care and are half as likely to re-enter, compared to those who don’t have one.

CASA volunteers must be at least 21, undergo an extensive background check and complete 30 hours of training in courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system and the special needs of abused

and neglected children.

CASAs must be willing to commit to following their first case through to its conclusion. The duration can vary widely, but the average is about a year and a half.

For more information about Coffee with a CASA or the CASA program, visit www.casaofyumacounty. org or call (928) 314-1830.

LOANED PHOTO CASA VOLUNTEERS KIMBERLEY K. AND DIANE H., CASA of Yuma County Coordinator Jennifer Sterenberg, and volunteers Delores P. and Rosalia D. stand at an information table during an event at Arizona Western College. The organization provides court advocates for local children in the state foster care system.