Child Advocates Are Sought

Ocmulgee Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc. (CASA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to recruit, train and supervise volunteers to advocate for abused children in court.

Ocmulgee CASA is currently recruiting volunteers to train on Saturday, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17. Interested persons may call the Ocmulgee CASA office at 478-452-9170 for more information.

Each year, thousands of children are thrust into court through no fault of their own. Some are victims of violence, psychological torment, or sexual abuse. Others have been neglected or abandoned by their own parents. Most are frightened and confused.
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Often these children also become victims of the overburdened child welfare system—a complex legal network of lawyers, social workers and judges who are too frequently overworked to give thorough, detailed attention to each child.

In these cases, it is important that a CASA be assigned by the juvenile court judge to advocate for the child’s best interest. The advocate studies the case, researching the background, reviewing documents, interviewing everyone involved including the child.

They make reports to the court, recommending what they believe is best for the child, providing the judge with information that will help him in making an informed decision.

To become a CASA requires a strong commitment. The training period alone is 30 hours. Training sessions are usually twice a week for five weeks.
However, in January we are having a special training session in Madison in order to train CASAs for Morgan and Jasper Counties. This special session will be held on two Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 10 and 17.

This will be a full training course condensed into two Saturdays. The training covers cultural awareness, Department of Family and Children Services proceedings, juvenile court proceedings, information gathering, report writing, child development and other topics relating to child welfare.

CASA applicants must not only go through the training, but must also provide four references; their fingerprints are checked both state and nationally, a criminal records background check is conducted and they must first interview with the staff of Ocmulgee CASA.

A CASA is considered an officer of the juvenile court. Although it is time consuming, it is rewarding, said the CASA coordinators. They suggest volunteers allow about 10 hours per month for their efforts.

CASA volunteers can be instrumental in assuring that a child or family receives service which the court has ordered—things like substance abuse counseling or special education testing.
During the life of a case, a CASA volunteer monitors the child’s situation to make sure he remains safe. CASA may be the only constant the child knows as she moves through the labyrinth of the child welfare system. CASA volunteers make a difference in children’s lives, said the announcement.

For more information, call Executive Director Lori M. Muggridge or Volunteer Coordinator Elaine Odom at 478-452-9170, or e-mail them at ocmulgee casa@yahoo.com