COUNTYWIDE : Volunteers Help Foster Kids Adjust

When children are removed from their homes by the county, they face a daunting array of court hearings, supervised visits and caseworkers’ reports. Although these procedures are designed to protect the children, the youngsters can become bewildered and uneasy.

To make the process easier, some of the children are assigned volunteers from the Court Appointed Special Advocate program.

These volunteers, called CASAs, serve as friends and advocates for children from foster or group homes. Matched with just one child at a time, the volunteers are encouraged to set aside regular time each week with the child.

Liz and John Boulter, a husband and wife team from Irvine, were matched with two brothers who were living in a group home. For more than a year, the Boulters spent part of their weekends with the boys, taking them to the beach, parks, the zoo and other places they thought the 7- and 9-year-old boys would enjoy.

“I was scared when we met them at the group home,” Liz Boulter recalled of their first meeting. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

The couple’s greatest fears were that the boys wouldn’t like them and would run away while on an outing. But the brothers were receptive and eager to spend time with the couple, and soon they were calling the Boulters with their problems and concerns.

But CASAs are more than just friends.

The advocates represent the child’s best interests in court, informing the judge of circumstances that could affect whether the child is returned to the home.

Of all the roles that the volunteer plays, it is the role of advocate that is most important, according to social worker Heather McKeag.

“(CASAs) are an extra pair of eyes and ears for me,” McKeag said. “They notice things I might not.”

McKeag recalled one case involving a child with hydrocephalus. The child complained to the advocate that his shunt, necessary to reduce pressure on the brain, was uncomfortable. The advocate spoke to the child’s doctor who discovered a life-threatening problem with the shunt.

“(The child) had spent a lot of time with the CASA and felt comfortable with her. He had never told this to anyone,” McKeag said.

With an average workload of 30 to 40 cases, social workers such as McKeag have quickly come to rely on CASAs. Now there is a backlog of about 100 cases for which advocates have been requested.

Sworn as officers of the court, the advocates undergo 20 hours of training to learn about the juvenile court process, and they attend seminars on behavior, child abuse and the rights of minors. Advocates are also required to attend 10 hours a year of continuing training.

John Boulter was so impressed by the course when he, out of curiosity, accompanied his wife to the training that he signed on as a CASA too.

CASA has a particular need for male advocates. A training session for volunteers will be held this month. For more information, call Susan Leibel at (714) 935-6460.