At any one time, there are 300 children from Ector County living in foster care because their parents abused or neglected them. Only 10% of them have a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
Cynthia Warren, the program director for CASA of the Permian Basin Area, would love to increase those numbers.
CASAs are volunteers appointed by the court to advocate for children in the foster care system. When kids are removed from their homes, CASAs regularly meet with them, their parents, their foster parents, CPS caseworker, attorney, therapists and school officials to ensure their needs are being met, Warren said.
They write reports, attend court hearings and are considered the “eyes and ears” of the judge, she said. Often times, a child in foster care may move from placement to placement and change caseworkers or attorneys, leaving their CASA the only person they can consistently count upon.
Even if they are lucky enough to keep the same caseworker, they’re likely overwhelmed and overburdened and sometimes miss the small details a CASA can pick up on, Warren said. That’s why the lack of CASAs is upsetting.
“A CASA can be that one person that follows a family through what will probably be the roughest time in their lives and work with everyone involved to make sure the children are receiving all of the services they need for a successful reunification,” Warren said.
Because of the lack of CASAs, Warren said those cases involving the worst kind of abuse are given priority. The cases often involve sexual abuse, extreme physical abuse and drug addiction and the children typically need more intensive resources.
“Right now every case seems to have a connection to methamphetamine, which I hear is one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs there are,” Warren said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, child abuse and neglect can have long-term impacts on children that require early intervention. These children are at increased risk of experiencing future violence victimization and perpetration and substance abuse.
Chronic abuse can result in changes in their brain development and increase their chances of developing PTSD and learning, attention and memory difficulties. It can also have a lifelong impact of children’s immune and metabolic systems, according to the CDC.
Studies have also shown that abuse and neglected children can trigger the part of their brains that control the fight, flight or freeze response, which makes it harder for them to control their emotions.
According to experts, however, children can overcome adverse childhood experiences if they receive therapy and are surrounded by caring adults who support their needs.
CASA’s fall into the category of caring adults, said Tracey Scown, associate judge of the Child Protection Court of West Texas.
Scown is the judge who ensures children in the foster care system are receiving the services they need and ultimately decides if they can be reunited with their parents. She said she would love to see more CASAs in Ector County.
Once volunteers successfully go through the interview process and background checks, Warren said they receive 30 hours of training and four hours of courtroom observation. They’re also required to get 12 hours of continuing education annually on such things as trauma-based counseling, family connections and planning for permanent placements.
As far as assignments, Warren said they do their best to match CASAs with families they believe the CASAs are best equipped to handle. It’s not a matter of first-come, first-matched.
CASAs must commit to serve one year at a time and during their first year, are shadowed by Warren or another member of her staff.
“We make sure they know all of the tools and resources available to them,” Warren said.
While CASAs are encouraged to meet with or touch base with their kids at least once a week, they must touch base at least once a month, Warren said. They’re also required to touch base with their parents, foster parents, caseworker, attorney, therapist and school once a month.
Because of a severe lack of foster parents in Ector County, nearly 67% of children are living with foster parents outside the county, CPS records show.
“If they’re outside the county, we have to get really creative,” Warren said.
When CASAs aren’t able to travel, they often resort to frequent phone calls and virtual meetings, she said. They’ll also write letters and send care packages.
Trying to heal families is difficult when the children are so far away from their parents and unable to participate in supervised visits and it’s especially hard when the children are toddlers or infants, Warren said.
“How do you maintain those family bonds while the parents are working on addressing the reasons for the removal and the kiddos are in Houston or Dallas?” Warren asked.
CASAs can help fill the gaps; by gathering as much information as they can from as many people as they can, they can color in the lines drawn by the CPS caseworkers, she said.
“CPS is often seen by the parents as ‘You took my children away,’ but when we come in, we tell them ‘We don’t work for CPS or the attorneys, we are representing the best interests of your child,’” Warren said. “That usually clicks for them. They realize somebody is their for their child and they don’t have an agenda and that opens up doors. We can get more information.”
Warren recalls with fondness one former CASA who once represented four siblings.
“She could tell you everything about those kiddos because she was so connected,” Warren said. “She blew everyone away about the time she spent learning about the kiddos and their family. It’s been about five years, but she still attends their birthday parties.”
There are times, Warren said, when a CASA will disagree with recommendations made by a CPS caseworker and because of the relationships they’ve developed, judges will sometimes rule against CPS.
Since she got involved with the CASA program as a volunteer 10 years ago, Warren said she’s met CASA volunteers from every walk of life. They’ve been stay-at-home moms, college professors, attorneys and law enforcement officers.
They often get together for potlucks, fundraising events and speaker events, she said. They also have an annual appreciation event.
“The best CASAs are those who want to be genuinely involved and make a difference in a child’s life and community,” Warren said.
Want to help?
If you are interested in becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate, call 432-288-5631 or email [email protected]
