“So many people feel so distant from being able to do something about the world’s problems. [CASA] is a program that gives people a real opportunity to make a difference in the world for an at-risk child,” said Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Ron Spon.
As indicated by Judge Spon, CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, is a program that allows people to help make a difference by advocating for at-risk children. The program helps children nationwide, including here within Richland County.
Last year, the local CASA served 169 children and contributed over 5,800 hours of free service. Those hours, Judge Spon said, saves the county citizens a tremendous amount of money.
But more significantly, those hours translate into time spent towards helping children. Judge Spon explained that judges typically assign CASA/GAL (guardian ad litem) volunteers to the complex court cases that involve children who have been identified as dependent, neglected, or abused.
The CASA/GAL’s main mission, Judge Spon said, is to advocate for the child’s best interests. In practical terms, this means that the CASA/GAL would research the child’s case and present a written report with findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the judge.
Spon said that the most primary recommendation, or one that is most central to many of the cases, relates to who the volunteer would recommend to be custodian of the child. “But [the recommendation] can involve a lot of other things, too,” he said. For instance, the volunteer may notice that the child has certain educational needs and recommend the child have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
To ensure that all of the bases are covered, Brenda Bumpus, program director, said, “We have a list that we go through to check and see if there are any medical issues or concerns, dental issues or concerns, developmental issues, and so on.” Sometimes the child may be in need of a visitation with a sibling or other relative, and the volunteer would be helpful in making that known, she added.
“I’m not bound to accept those recommendations, but they’re very important and very helpful,” said Judge Spon.
After a case plan is implemented, it is the volunteer’s responsibility to monitor the case by visiting the child monthly and seeing that the child is receiving the proper care and services ordered by the judge.
Typically, CASA/GAL’s have one or two cases a year. Having a low caseload means that the volunteer can devote more time to each case, and, in turn, see that the best interests of the child are met.
Currently, there are 54 volunteers serving with the local CASA program.
To become a volunteer with this program, call or email Brenda Bumpus at 419-774-5802 or blbumpus@rcjcoh.us.
A prospective volunteer must be at least 21 years old and complete a written application, personal interview, and reference and background check. He or she must also attend 30 hours of training and court observation and attend ongoing training of three hours per year.
Judge Spon encouraged people to explore the program, and said, “And if they decide they are not interested, that’s fine, and even if they were to go though the training and should ever determine at some point that they don’t want to take more cases, they can do that.” He emphasized that a volunteer is not “locked in” once he or she becomes part of the program.
“But we’ve found that many people enjoy the work,” he added.
