CASA volunteers speak up for kids in crisis

SANDPOINT — For a child in crisis, the world must seem a hard, random, heartbreaking place.

“But if CASA wasn’t a part of things, it would be even more heartbreaking,” said Jan Rust, a volunteer advocate for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program serving the First Judicial District in Bonner and Boundary counties. “In sometimes subtle ways, CASA can help set things in a positive direction.”

When families are broken apart and children are moved to either foster care or a shelter environment, volunteer advocates work to ensure that they have a voice as matters move into the courtroom.

“My job is to work with kids and figure out what it is they would like to see in these cases,” Rust said. “Then I work with the foster parents and the biological parents to see what they want — and they don’t always match.

“I’m not law enforcement, I’m not an attorney, I’m just an advocate,” she continued. “For that reason, CASA advocates don’t put anybody on edge. We sort of become part of everybody’s family and try to reach good conclusions.”

Building such a network taps into a larger brain trust — some might call it a heart trust — meant to shine light on all sides of a crisis situation, according to Cherie Peak, program supervisor for the two northernmost counties of Idaho.

“CASA represents the common sense and the collective wisdom of the community in the courtroom,” she said.

With the Department of Health & Welfare swamped in new cases and faced with limited resources, the volunteer advocates provide a safety valve for a system that seems to be perpetually under pressure.

“We’re here to fill the gap,” said Peak. “We bring another set of eyes and ears to fill the needs in court.”

The CASA program was first rolled out in Seattle in 1977 and began serving Idaho’s First Judicial District in the five northern counties in 1992. Every time an abuse, neglect or abandonment case enters the legal system, a CASA advocate is appointed to represent the child involved.

Demand for the service has grown steadily since it became available in North Idaho. In 2011, CASA served 89 children. For 2012, the number of cases had grown to 103 by year-end.

“And so far this year, we’ve served 109 children,” said Judy Labrie, program assistant for the two northern counties.

In the five northern counties, the program served a total of about 520 children last year.

Is the growth related to a mounting caseload, or simply due to the availability of advocacy in the community?

“The number of cases has increased,” Labrie answered. “The number of meth cases, in particular, has spiked. And the economic downturn seems to have taken its toll in a progressive way.”

Where poverty and drug abuse are found, domestic violence is usually not lurking far behind, Peak added.

“All of those things feed on each other,” she said. “It’s a snowball effect.”

As of last week, about 25 volunteers are in place to advocate for kids in Bonner and Boundary counties. Their training includes 30 hours of initial classes, followed by ongoing community workshops. Once sworn in by the court, the volunteer advocates work in partnership with Health & Welfare, but form their deepest relationship with the children they represent, according to Labrie.

“Our main focus is to build a rapport with the kids and concentrate on what they need to succeed,” she said.

The advocate’s role also includes taking part in the investigative process, collecting police reports, medical records and, at times, interviewing parents in jail. All the while, though, the baseline remains grounded in the relationship between volunteer and child.

“Kids removed from the home have suffered trauma,” Labrie said, citing studies that show youngsters who grow up to become resilient adults “have had at least one adult who stood up for them.”

“The CASA advocate can be that one person,” she added.

“We’re dependable, so they know somebody is not only consistently showing up, but they’re actually listening,” Rust said. “It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do.”

Polling the ranks of local volunteer advocates shows that they include retired teachers, probation officers and social workers, as well as housewives and full-time employees from a wide array of area employers.

“Talk about the collective wisdom of the community,” Labrie said after reciting the above list.

Even in an era of dwindling resources, that applied wisdom generates positive outcomes, Peak noted.

“The research shows that CASA works,” the program supervisor said. “Kids spend less time in foster care, they do better in school and there are fewer juvenile offenders.”

National statistics appear to be stacked against success for programs such as CASA. In the U.S., the cost of dealing with child abuse and neglect has shot past $100 billion a year, according to CASA’s fact sheet.

“And, nationally, we spend three times more on animal care than we do on caring for women and children,” Peak said. “But this community does have a heart for our children.”

The annual budget for CASA in North Idaho is approximately $280,000, of which, about $96,000 comes from funds provided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The cost of keeping the Sandpoint office open to train advocates and handle court cases is $58,000 a year.

Locally, the group raises two out of every three dollars it spends to run the program. Much of the money is drummed up through fundraisers such as the recent “Ray of Hope” breakfast.

The next CASA fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 13, from 4-7 p.m. at Tango Café. Called “Open Your Purse for Kids,” the event will feature new, vintage and unique handcrafted purses and bags for sale and silent auction. The organization is still accepting donations of purses and bags, which can be dropped off at Finan McDonald Clothing Co., Zany Zebra, Cedar Street Bridge, Bizarre Bazaar, Xhale Studio and Panhandle State Bank branches in both Sandpoint and Ponderay.

The next training session for volunteer advocates will start in mid-September, said Labrie, who hopes to host a class of at least six students. Volunteers also are needed to help with office work, serve on committees and organize fundraising activities.

In the end, Rust explained, family reunification, whenever possible, is the goal of the organization.

“We had one case that went on for some time with lots of ups and downs,” she said. “When the judge finally decided to dismiss the case and the kids were reunified with their parents, I asked the mom, ‘After going through all this, did it make a difference?’ She told me it did and when I asked her how, she said, ‘We totally live our lives differently now.’”

For more information on becoming a CASA advocate, working as a volunteer in other capacities or for details on the Sept. 13 “Open Your Purse for Kids” fundraiser, call the Sandpoint CASA office at (208) 255-7408.