{"id":11785,"date":"2012-04-25T03:25:42","date_gmt":"2012-04-25T10:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.57.196.122\/~gdatwofo\/theavtimes\/?p=11785"},"modified":"2012-06-30T11:53:27","modified_gmt":"2012-06-30T18:53:27","slug":"help-wanted-advocates-for-abused-and-neglected-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/2012\/04\/25\/help-wanted-advocates-for-abused-and-neglected-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Help wanted: Advocates for abused and neglected children"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The Antelope Valley office of CASA of Los Angeles received a commendation last month from the Board of Supervisors for their work in the community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LANCASTER – Two years ago, an Antelope Valley family of 11 was in dire straits.\u00a0 The mother was a pregnant fugitive on the run with a substance abuse problem, and the father was fresh out of prison struggling to care for nine children on his own. The children, ages one to 15, were eventually removed from the home and scattered throughout the county to different foster homes.<\/p>\n

Then a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) stepped in.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
CASA volunteer Diana Love (right) speaks with Program Supervisor Jasmine McClendon (left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She collaborated with the social workers, foster care providers, therapists, teachers, attorneys and parents to determine what actions were in the best interest of the children. \u00a0Additionally, she became a consistent and positive presence in the children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Her hard work paid off.<\/p>\n

In less than two years, things turned around for the family. The children were returned to their father; and the mother turned herself in to authorities, completed substance abuse classes, and reconnected with her family.<\/p>\n

The judge on the case said the children would not have been returned home, had it not been for the CASA volunteer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of our favorite success stories that we\u2019ve had,\u201d said Jasmine McClendon, Program Supervisor for CASA Los Angeles\u2019 Antelope Valley office.<\/p>\n

The group is hoping for many more success stories in the Antelope Valley. But first, more residents must answer the call to become a powerful voice for abused and neglected children.<\/p>\n

What is CASA?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are trained volunteers appointed by dependency judges to advocate for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect and are going through the court system. \u00a0The CASA volunteer gathers information, writes reports and makes recommendations to the judge in the child\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
CASA has helped save thousands of children from abuse and neglect over the years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The CASA volunteer is also a compassionate, stabilizing force in a child\u2019s life, who works hard to make sure the child\u2019s voice is heard above the noise of an overburdened and short staffed dependency court system.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial workers are serving at least 50 families and attorneys are sometimes serving over 200, but CASA advocates usually serve only one to two cases,\u201d said Assistant Program Director Monique Stevens. \u201cSo what they have is time and attention to get the detailed information like no one else has the time to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minimum commitment for a CASA volunteer is two years, Stevens said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the youth can know that\u2019s one thing they can depend on in their life,\u201d she said. \u201cTwo years is how long a typical case can take to close; it\u2019s typical for a CASA to remain in the child\u2019s life after the case closes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locally, there are about 50 CASA volunteers in the Antelope Valley, who advocate on behalf of foster children going through the dependency courtroom in Lancaster. That number is not nearly enough, according to Stevens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re serving about 100 children right now just in this office, but there\u2019re about 1,700 kids that need help up here,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for more volunteers and always looking for ways to improve our recruitment and raise awareness\u2026 we just try to spread the message out there that these children really need advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The CASA team in the Antelope Valley is calling on residents to volunteer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CASA is hoping to use April\u2019s Child Abuse Awareness Month to get as many residents as possible to make a difference in the lives of the neediest children by becoming CASA volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience is very rewarding,\u201d said CASA Volunteer Diana Love. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to know that someone feels that you are trustworthy and that they can confide in you and that they feel comfortable, especially when they\u2019ve had such a traumatic life.\u201d<\/p>\n

No special educational background is required to become a CASA volunteer.\u00a0 Anyone over the age of 25 who is committed to helping children may apply. CASA volunteers must complete 36 hours of training and then commit an average of 5-6 hours per week to case activities on behalf of the child, which may include attending court hearings, maintaining regular contact with the child, gathering information about the child\u2019s circumstances, and drafting written reports for the judge that detail the recommendations that are best for the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people come to the program who are retired educators or law enforcement, people who have already found it very rewarding to help their community in a number of ways,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cWe have staff members to walk advocates through the cases, so advocates are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Become a CASA Volunteer<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you are interested in becoming a CASA volunteer, you must first attend an information session to learn more about the program.<\/p>\n

CASA Los Angeles will be holding information sessions on:<\/strong><\/p>\n