Children in foster care need an adult to be their voice and advocate on their behalf.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Jefferson County is on a mission to ensure that every child has a trusted adult on their side.
Lisa Crow, board member at CASA of Jefferson County, said CASA is looking for volunteers who are willing to be a caring and consistent part of a foster child’s life to help them thrive in an often confusing and constantly changing foster system and advocate for them when needed.
“Every child in Jefferson County deserves to have a voice. They deserve to talk about what they’ve experienced. They deserve to be held to process through some of the most traumatic things that will happen to them with a trusted adult that knows how to help and care,” Crow said.
Crow said CASA volunteers spend an average of three to four hours weekly on cases, familiarizing themselves with case files and spending time with the child, tailoring activities to the child’s interests. Their time together might include talking with the child, playing games, helping with homework or providing other support they need.
Crow said CASA volunteers are trained and appointed by the court. Volunteers work with the entire family support team, which includes attorneys, caseworkers, juvenile officers, counselors, teachers, guardian ad litems, biological family and foster families, to determine what is in the best interest of the child. They then share the information in court so the judge can make the most informed decisions.
Crow said the goal is to create a trained adult who cares only for the child and will represent the child even if the child changes foster homes.
“If a CASA is assigned to a child, that CASA moves with them, so they would still be in contact with the child regardless of the placement that they have,” Crow said.
Crow said CASA volunteers have a huge impact on foster children’s lives, both now and in the future.
“Through research, we have found that children in the foster care system who receive a CASA are 50 percent more likely to stay in a permanent home for the rest of their time in the foster care system, and oftentimes just as likely to no longer rely on any kind of government system going forward or be incarcerated later in life,” Crow said.
Crow said the CASA program has existed since the late 1970s or early 1980s but only came to Jefferson County in 2012. She said despite the positive impact CASA volunteers have on the children they advocate for, the program doesn’t have enough volunteers to go around.
“In Missouri alone, we have 12,000 children in foster care. In Jefferson County, in any given month, we have anywhere from 600 to 1,000 children in foster care,” Crow said. “Currently we have 90 volunteers. We typically have 500 children in the foster care system that have not been assigned to CASA.”
Crow said there are several ways for those interested in helping CASA to advocate for foster children, even if they can’t be a CASA volunteer themselves. She said CASA can always use monetary support.
“We need to pay for the files and the training and the things that we do to support our volunteers. We have to have a certain amount of managers that have to be paid and employed for each volunteer. So even if we have the volunteers, if we don’t have the money to support it, we can’t welcome them in and train them,” Crow said.
Crow said people can also help by informing others about CASA and their mission.
“If you know a business that this is in line with what they want or if you know an individual who would love to volunteer here, we just need to get the word out to them. We need people to know what we do. We need people to care about the children in Jefferson County.”
Crow said CASA volunteers must be age 21 or older, be able to pass a criminal and child abuse/neglect background check and have regular access to email and internet. She said those interested in learning more should join one of CASA’s informational Zoom sessions. The schedule can be found at jeffersoncountycasa.org/volunteer. Volunteers can RSVP for the Zoom meeting or apply to be a volunteer through CASA’s website. For more information, email info@jeffersoncountycasa.org or call 636-789-1766 with additional questions.
CASA will be celebrating its ninth annual fundraising gala for children from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the Clubhouse at Oak Valley Golf Course, 1230 Abbey Lane, Pevely. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, fundraising and magic.
Tickets are $70 for an individual, $120 for a couple or $600 for a table of 10. Sponsorship and donor ads are available. For more information or to RSVP call 314-409-2880, email aknickman@jeffersoncountycasa.org or visit Jeffersoncountycasa.org/events.