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Conditions
that lead to CASA
Prior to
the 1900’s child abuse was considered a family matter, and children were
not removed from their homes due to physical harm inflicted by their
parents or caregivers. During the 1860’s Mary Ellen Wilson was being
beaten, burned, starved and neglected by her adoptive mother. A church
social worker, Etta Wheeler, reported this abuse to authorities, but no
one would do anything about it because it was a family matter. However,
Mrs. Wheeler would not be deterred and finally obtained help from the
founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. With
his help, they had 10-year--old Mary Ellen taken from the care of her
adopted mother through a writ written for a dog in 1874. That same
year, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was formed.
It
wasn’t until the 1960’s however that child advocates succeeded in
raising the awareness of the public and courts, and child abuse was
recognized as a serious problem and a crime. During this period, there
was also growing recognition of the importance of a child’s attachment
to caregivers. Judges began placing children in families instead of
institutions, giving birth to the modern system of foster care.
By the
1970’s, however, foster care had become permanent for many children. It
was not uncommon for them to be placed in a series of foster homes with
no efforts made to reunite them with their parents or to find other
permanent families. As a result, several laws were passed to help
benefit these child victims. The federal government and some states
passed legislation to appoint guardian’s ad litem to children as they
entered into the court system. These guardian’s ad litem were appointed
to protect the interests of the child involved in the judicial system.
Although these laws did much to improve the child’s position in court,
there were still many children being placed in foster care unnecessarily
and many others who were remaining in foster care placements longer than
necessary.
CASA Offers
a Solution
The
growing awareness of children’s rights and subsequent changes in the law
produced an environment of change in child welfare in which creative
solutions to problems could be developed.
One such
innovative program emerged in 1977 in Seattle, Washington, when King
County Superior Court Judge David W. Soukup saw a recurring problem in
his courtroom. He felt strongly that he was not getting all the facts
needed to make well-informed decisions affecting the future of the
children whose cases came before him. Such decisions included where the
child would live, for how long, and under what conditions; what
services and treatment should be ordered; and /or what steps should be
taken to reunite the child with the birth parents, or to place the child
in a new family unit.
While
attorney guardian’s ad litem were being appointed to abuse and neglect
cases in Seattle, they generally lacked the time and the specialized
training to conduct the in-depth investigation required in these cases.
Social workers, responsible for many cases, also had too little time to
devote to each child. In court there were attorneys to represent the
interest of the parents and the state. Yet the child, whose future
hinged on the outcome, was without a voice.
Judge
Soukup believed that someone other than an attorney might be trained to
speak effectively for the child. So, in 1977, trained volunteers became
Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA/GAL volunteers. This program
became such a success that it quickly spread and today there are more
than 62,000 CASA volunteers serving over 900 CASA programs in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Ohio
CASA/GAL Association
The
first program in Ohio was started in Lucas County (Toledo) in 1980, by
Judge Andy Devine, with the help from the Junior League. After hearing
about CASA during a presentation, he researched the program and
instituted one in his own county. The Lucas County CASA/GAL program was
the third in the nation. CASA programs in Akron and Cincinnati soon
followed.
The Ohio
CASA/GAL Association was established in 1993 as a non-profit
organization to provide leadership and support to Ohio’s network of
local CASA/GAL programs. The Association monitors local program
compliance with National CASA/GAL Association practice Standards,
manages funds from the sale of “Celebrate Kids!” license plates, holds
an annual statewide conference and provides a variety of other technical
assistance and in-service training opportunities for local program staff
and volunteers. The Association also assists local programs with
volunteer recruitment, updates on state policies that effect their
mission, fund-raising, and public out-reach.
Today,
Ohio has 32 local programs in 35 counties, but the Association is always
working to develop new programs with the goal of having a CASA/GAL
program in all 88 Ohio Counties.
National
CASA
National
CASA was established in 1982 to work with state and local CASA guardian
ad litem programs to promote and support quality volunteer advocacy to
help assure each child a safe, permanent and nurturing home. They set
standards to assure each CASA child is given an impartial voice in court
to represent their best interests. Additionally, they hold an annual
conference, send out quarterly newsletters, promote CASA through public
relation efforts, fundraise, offer consultation and resources to help
start CASA programs, and provide vital assistance to established
programs.
Their
websites at
www.nationalcasa.org and
www.casanet.org provide a wealth of information for not only CASA
programs and volunteers, but for anyone interested in the well-being of
children who are the victims of abuse and neglect.
Local CASA
Programs
Local
CASA/GAL programs are responsible for recruiting, screening, training,
supervising and supporting community volunteers so they may advocate for
safe and permanent homes for Ohio’s abused, neglected and dependent
children. By having a diverse pool of volunteers, programs can match
the background and needs of children to the experience, skills, and
interests of volunteers. Programs must also meet national and state
standards requirements and raise funds to support local activities.
(click here for information on becoming a CASA Volunteer)
Local
programs are established in a variety of ways. Some run as arm of their
local court system, some work through the courts as well as through a
non-profit component, and others are run strictly as a non-profit
organization.
If you would like more information on establishing a CASA/GAL program in
your community, please
click here.
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