CASA to hold Volunteer Recruitment Night

Who can help an abused child?

This is a question many ask, and wonder if there is anything that can possibly be done to be a part of the answer.

The answer is simple. Anyone can help an abused child with the proper training.

On Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6pm, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) will hold a Volunteer Recruitment Night at the CASA Office at 1104 E. Tyler, in Athens.

A CASA is a community volunteer appointed by the court to represent the best interests of an abused or neglected child in court. A CASA volunteer is an independent and objective advocate for the children they are assigned to who makes recommendations to the court and monitors the progress and compliance with court orders.

Volunteers are assigned one to two cases and are under the direction and support of CASA staff. Before becoming a CASA, volunteers are required to complete 30 hours of training and complete a thorough background check.

No special talents are required. Volunteers just need to be someone who cares enough about children to be an investigator, researcher, mediator, friend and advocate. The advocate must commit to staying with the case from start to finish - unlike other workers who may come and go from the child's life. Each advocate takes one case at a time and devotes their energies helping move those children to a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible.

In 2002, Child Protective Services, a part of the Texas Department of Protective Services, confirmed in 2002 there were 47,409 victims of child abuse. Unfortunately, these are only confirmed victims; many times child abuse goes unreported.

Reports of suspected child abuse are made to the Child Abuse Hotline at CPS (1-800- 252-5400). This information is recorded and, based on a number of factors, the case will be assigned a priority level for investigation.

This is where local, state and nonprofit workers come together as a team to assist this child through the often confusing and scary process that is the child welfare system. How can this child, who has been abused by adults, feel comfortable talking about his experiences to strangers in a sterile office? And how can investigators avoid making this child report his story again and again, reliving this horrible experience just so that all the professionals who need to know the facts are informed?

To address these concerns, non-profit Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) were established. CACs offer a child-family atmosphere where law enforcement, prosecutors, CPS workers, medical, and mental health professionals can meet with the child in a team effort to minimize the number of times a child must be interviewed, build stronger cases and offer services that are necessary for the child to begin the healing process.

There are two different court systems the child may encounter. If there is enough evidence, a criminal case will be filed against the perpetrator. If the abuser is a family member, CPS will start civil court proceedings to ensure the child is placed in a safe home. These proceedings take many forms, from intensive services offered to family members to allow the child to remain in his current home, to foster replacement and potential termination of parental rights.

This is where CASA comes into play. Throughout both the civil and criminal court process, the CAC remains actively involved, assisting in coordinating the multitude of individuals working with the child, including the CASA volunteer assigned to the case, and providing services to the child and their non-offending family members. Information is shared with the child's supportive family members and every effort is made to address their specific needs and concerns during that time.

Both CAC and CASA are non-profit organizations that, through the support of the community, work to ensure that abused children can have a solid chance at a happy and healthy life. These groups work hand-in-hand, in some locations they are actually part of the same organization. And these groups give the answer to the original question: Who can an abused child turn to for help? YOU.

April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. You can make a difference now, by becoming a CASA volunteer.

For more information contact the CASA office at 903- 675-6060.