CASA Program Supports Children in Court System

When stress is at its highest, the worst thing is to realize you are facing life's darkness alone.

That is why Plains West CASA exists, to ensure children have someone in their corner representing them when life is confusing and out of control.

CASA, Court-Appointed Special Advocates, is a program designed to meet the needs of children in the court system. CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge who then pairs the volunteer with a child who has been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, according to the Plains West CASA website. Unlike a social worker who may visit several children, CASA volunteers are committed to one child. The volunteer stays with the child until the case is closed or the child is placed in a permanent home.

Plains West CASA Executive Director Krista Bruns noted that parents have attorneys but children are not always represented. A CASA volunteer provides a judge with carefully researched background of the child to help the court make a sound decision about the child's future, according to a CASA information sheet. The data sheet says each case is as unique as the child.

"The thought behind CASA is one person with the child throughout the court case," Bruns said.

She said a CASA volunteer is responsible for making sure a child's needs are met, including how they are performing in school.

"If they need help with homework, they get it," Bruns said.

The expectation of a volunteer sounds like a professional job description, and the staff of CASA are clear that a volunteer is expected to be professional. They are there to take care of the one child they are appointed to in the court case.

"Our advocates have one child," she said.

She said being a CASA volunteer might seem overwhelming, even intimidating. The primary focus of a volunteer, according to Bruns, volunteer coordinator Bridget Whittredge and administrative assistant/volunteer coordinator Mindy Estrada, is to spend time with the appointed child, offer them someone to trust. CASA asks volunteers to meet with their child at least once each month and agree to a year commitment to the program.

"There's a lot going on with these children. They don't know who they can trust," Estrada said.

CASA is an organization with state, national and local presence. Locally, they are an office that is more like a base of operations, a place where plans are made, people are contacted and meetings held, but the real work is done in the courts, with the children and out among the community. To the casual observer, the office is basic, almost rustic. In reality, the location is in a state of change. The office is being remodeled with meeting rooms and a conference room as well as a handicap-accessible restroom.

The fall training class for volunteers started Thursday, Sept. 6. The eight-week required course has nine volunteers registered, more than double the last class. Bruns said CASA is always seeking new volunteers. The program is presently serving eight children with 16 on a waiting list.

"We're always going to have a need," she said.

In addition to the meeting with your appointed child once a month, a CASA volunteer meets in an inservice with the staff and other volunteers every other month. It is a time for volunteers to encourage each other, share struggles and share ideas that work. Volunteers are also required to have 12 hours of annual education, a requirement the CASA staff offers opportunities to complete in Sidney and regionally.

Since becoming Plains West CASA, the organization serves children and families in Deuell, Cheyenne, and Kimball counties. Plains West has volunteers in Cheyenne and Kimball counties.

Bruns is still new to CASA. She is five weeks in the duties of executive director after 18 years with the Cabela's corporation. She says she wanted an occupation that benefits the community. Children was her main goal. She saw the ad for CASA and was drawn to the opportunity.

"It is so fun working here," she says. "You have to have a job you love."

Plains West CASA can be reached at 308-203-1120. Their website is http://www.plainswestcasa.org.