CASA needs positive male role models to help kids in Foster Care

An interesting request is topping the 36th Judicial Circuit CASA program’s Christmas wish list.

Program officials in Butler and Ripley counties are looking for a few good men to volunteer with CASA as court-appointed advocates to help to support abused and neglected children, said program Director Judith Moss.

Moss recently received the request “do you have a male CASA who would be good with a preteen boy?” 

The young man relates well to his male case manager and needs more positive male influences in his life is basically the only information Moss can share. 

“The request made me realize ‘I need those kinds of people who can relate to children who have no male role models,’” Moss said. “We are always looking to add more volunteers, but we have a strong need for males.”

Qualifications for CASA volunteers are you must be 21 and be able to pass a background check.  

“We provide the 30 hours of training, and you have to maintain 12 hours of training every year after that,” Moss said.

Moss’s coworker, Abby Hanner, said, “I’ve noticed from being a CASA, these kids are in foster care, and I am the only constant person in these kids’ lives over the years.

“Sometimes their foster home changes, the people who work on their case change, but I am the one that’s been there the longest, most of the time. They get so excited when I tell them I’m coming to see them.”

Hanner tells the youth she works with, “they’re my boss. I always ask them, what do you want the judge to know? They tell me and then I make sure the judge knows what they want him to know. I take the time to explain what’s happening and why it’s happening.”

But to Hanner, “the most rewarding part, honestly, is spending the time with them ... you know, just getting to know them. It’s like the birthdays you celebrate with them, you watch them grow up.”

Moss and Hanner explained they’ve watched one child go from having no voice to being inspired by her CASA worker to use her own voice during a court hearing. 

Moss recalls, it “was a beautiful thing. The judge was finishing the hearing, but the child wasn’t finished. She had something she wanted to tell him.

“So, she held up her hand and said she had something to say. She told the judge what her concern was, and a year ago she couldn’t have done it.”

Moss added, “not only do we advocate for these kids, but we also teach them to advocate for themselves and teach them that they’re worth advocating for. The fun part is to watch them blossom into these young people who can do that.

“We get to tell the kid’s story,” Moss said. “We don’t have to worry about all this other stuff, we get to tell what the kids want, how they’re growing, and what the judge needs to know.”

Hanner explained, sometimes when advocating for the child, they get crossways with other team members.

“I’m not there to be liked,” Hanner said. “I think when the CASA is there, it reminds everyone of the faces of the child they are talking about and they do have wants and wishes and needs. 

“There is a different feel in the courtroom when a child is present with their advocate. A CASA helps prepare the child for court and gives them the confidence to use their voice to express their needs and wants.”

Moss said, “The majority of a CASA’s role is spending time with the child, participating in team decision making, and advocating both in court and through court report letters.”

With concerns like COVID, CASA has changed how things are done. The program volunteers may do a lot of Zoom or non-face-to-face contact if that’s a worry for people. The important thing is maintaining contact and building the bond with the kids.

“Our goal is for every child in foster care to be able to have a CASA,” Moss said. “That’s the dream. Right now, we have kids that need CASAs and don’t have enough male or female volunteers.”

When a volunteer is assigned to a case, the volunteer is asked to stay with the child until he or she has a permanent home, which may mean adoption, reunification with parents, guardianship, or age out of the system. 

CASA is part of the Butler County Community Resource Council.

CASA of the 36th Judicial Circuit will be starting the 30-hour training in January 2022.

Anyone interested in becoming a CASA volunteer, contact Moss at 573-776-7830 Ext. 13 or email casa36@thecrc.org.