Advocates speak out for foster children
They are the often-forgotten youth of San Benito County; the 100
or so abused and neglected children in foster care. More than 85
percent of the time, these local children removed from their homes
are placed in foster care outside of the county, far from friends
and the places they know so well.
Without a steadying adult presence in their lives, many of these
youths
– ranging in age from a few months to 18 years old – would be
lost in the bureaucracy of the juvenile dependency system, social
service agencies and the foster care system.
Advocates speak out for foster children
They are the often-forgotten youth of San Benito County; the 100 or so abused and neglected children in foster care. More than 85 percent of the time, these local children removed from their homes are placed in foster care outside of the county, far from friends and the places they know so well.
Without a steadying adult presence in their lives, many of these youths – ranging in age from a few months to 18 years old – would be lost in the bureaucracy of the juvenile dependency system, social service agencies and the foster care system.
Fortunately for these youths, a number of local adults have stepped up to serve as advocates for them as part of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Started earlier this year as an offshoot of CASA of Monterey County, the local program has trained 22 volunteers that are being matched with children who are in the custody of the court.
“Often, these kids don’t have a consistent person in their lives,” said Esther Curtice, CASA’s program manager for San Benito County. “The community members we recruit and screen want to make a difference in someone’s life.”
“These kids have been taken from their homes for whatever reason,” Curtice said, ranging from parental abuse to sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment. “Unfortunately, a lot of them aren’t housed in the county.”
Rather, she said, they live in transitional housing such as group homes or foster homes in Central Valley towns such as Newman, Tracy or Livingston.
“We definitely need more foster homes in San Benito County,” Curtice said.
While not all of the local children in foster care are living here, more of them than ever have someone advocating on their behalf.
“I learned how desperately the kids in San Benito County needed a voice,” said CASA advocate Jackie Fancher, who advocates for a 17-year-old high school student who was kicked out of his home. “He really needed somebody. He had been living on the streets for awhile and was at the point where he needed help because he is on the verge of becoming an adult. We want to get him on the right track. To do that, he needed a support system in place.”
CASA advocates typically make an 18-month commitment to the program. Their essential duties include being the child’s voice in court; assisting the court by monitoring the child’s welfare and reporting their findings and recommendations; monitoring the child’s case as it moves through the court system in order to prevent delays and continuances; and ensuring that the child’s needs are met.
Because of the typically large caseload in juvenile court, “judges are often compelled to make decisions based on less than complete or objective data,” according to information provided by CASA.
Advocates are there to provide to the court unbiased recommendations in the best interest of the child.
“Our advocates come from all different kinds of backgrounds,” Curtice said. “Some have worked with kids before; others haven’t.
Some come from an educational background; some are retired. They all want to make a difference in their community and in a child’s life.
CASA advocates spend on average eight to 10 hours per month with the child to whom they are assigned, Curtice said.
“Some advocates get information from a child’s teacher, as they have educational rights,” Curtice added.
They also get information from behavioral health personnel and work with attorneys, social workers or anybody else involved in the child’s life. The advocates are sworn officers of the court, meaning they have access to educational and medical records.
“They ask the child what’s been happening in their life, seeing where they want to be,” Curtice said. “Sometimes it takes time to get that information out of them.”
Fancher, who owns a bookkeeping firm in Hollister, found out about the need for foster care advocates from a flyer in the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce newsletter. The mother of three – ages 17, 20 and 21 – said she was shocked that youths in the foster care system have so few foster care options locally.
“I’m new at this but [the teen with which I work] has responded very well,” she said, mentioning that she visits or talks with him approximately twice a month. “I’ll pick him up and we’ll go to McDonald’s and have a conversation. I’ve gotten him some used books that deal with what he’s interested in as a career. It’s really rewarding work.”
Fancher said she and her husband had previously discussed becoming foster parents because “I just love kids.” Instead, “I thought I’d start small. I want to at least let people know that it only takes a few hours a month to make a big impact.”
Local appraiser and new CASA volunteer Mike Cullinan said he expects to be matched with a pair of brothers, one who is a sixth-grader and one who is a freshman.
As an active member of the community who has served on a number of boards, from the YMCA to the Chamber of Commerce to the county fair board, Cullinan said the advocacy role available to him through CASA “seemed like an opportunity where you could really make a difference.
While he acknowledges the good work of all the boards of which he has been a part, “If I am going to spend my time volunteering, I want to do some good and make an impact,” he added.
CASA volunteers report on their case each month and create a report for the court that includes the child’s living arrangements, goals and wishes, Curtice said, noting that CASA tries to pair advocates with children “at the beginning of their involvement in the judicial system.
“Their role is to make recommendations to the court and facilitate the process,” she said. “These kids would like to have other things in life beyond their current circumstances. We try to facilitate that.”
Middle School Vice Principal Karen Twadell recently was sworn in as a CASA volunteer. A friend of hers who was among the first advocates trained in San Benito County recommended the program to Twadell, who said it was “something she had wanted to do for a long time.”
“There’s a huge need for this kind of program,” said Twadell, who recently completed her work on a doctorate and has been a mentor for children in group and foster homes. “I’ve been in education a long time and am very aware of the issues affecting youths in foster care.”
Twadell encourages anyone who enjoys working with children to get involved with CASA.
“It will take up some time and it’s a huge commitment, but anybody with a good heart is someone who is able to be a good advocate,” she said.
GET INVOLVED
For more information on becoming an advocate for Court Appointed Special Advocates, contact Esther Curtice at 637-4992 or visit www.casasanbenito.org.
CASA CHRISTMAS PROJECT
CASA of San Benito County is seeking individuals and businesses to help provide gifts for youth in the local foster system this holiday season. There are several ways to contribute:
Adopt a child: CASA will submit a list of a child’s wishes and needs and an individual or group can “adopt” the child by providing these items for him or her.
Donate gifts: An organization can provide unwrapped gifts – half for children from infants to 12 years old and half for ages 13 to 18 – equally divided among boys and girls. Suggested gifts include toys, books and gift cards.
Monetary donations will be used to purchase gifts for the children served by CASA, which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
