Maricopa County Juvenile Court has a spot to fill now that Jackie Flowers is leaving after more than 20 years as a court-appointed special advocate.
Filling a spot, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean filling her shoes.
“Jackie is a community hero,” says Laurie Laughlin, Maricopa County CASA program manager. “There needs to be more Jackies in the world willing to speak up on behalf of our foster children.”
The need is reflected in the numbers. Of the 10,000 Arizona children in foster care, 6,000 are in Maricopa County, Ms. Laughlin says.
Ideally, she says, “We’d like a CASA for every child in Maricopa County,” she adds.
Right now, there are about 340, and the need is growing. Or as Ms. Laughlin puts it: The need is “overwhelming.”
“There are kids coming into care every day,” she says.
The CASA volunteer usually works with one case, though that could involve several children removed from a family because of abuse or neglect. A check on the county’s CASA Web site offers a more detailed description of a CASA’s duties.
The special advocate follows a child’s case to make sure that it is moving toward a “safe, permanent home for the child and that all-court ordered services have been provided.” To make sure the child’s needs are being met, the CASA reviews records from teachers, doctors, therapists and others. In addition, the CASA makes recommendations about what would be in the child’s best interest.
The special-advocate movement began with a Seattle judge, who started a CASA program there 1977. It proved successful and jurisdictions in other states started their own CASA programs.
CASA helped by Judge Rose
It took hold in Maricopa County with the help of Superior Court Judge Charles Kimball Rose, presiding Juvenile Court judge from 1978 to 1982. Mr. Rose died of a stroke Nov. 28.
All 15 Arizona counties have a CASA program, overseen and funded through the state CASA program that operates under the Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts, an arm of the state Supreme Court. The money for CASA staff and administration comes from 30 percent of the unclaimed Arizona Lottery prize money.
The money automatically goes into the CASA fund as it becomes available, though the Legislature must approve the CASA budget. Any money in excess of the budget stays in the fund, says Bonnie Marcus, state CASA program manager. Any shortfall is made up by tapping the fund reserve, which stands at about $1.2 million.
More than $2.8 million has been budgeted for this year.
Ms. Laughlin says people interested in volunteering as CASAs should be prepared to spend 12 to 15 hours a month with a dependent child. That’s if they pass muster. The CASA applicant must be 21. The application has to be accompanied by three letters of reference.
Applicants then undergo a background check, including a fingerprint check and a polygraph examination. That goes along with a two-hour interview by staff members.
Then, if everything checks out, there’s a three-day mandatory training session.
The volunteer work is demanding but not all consuming, Ms. Laughlin says. CASA volunteers don’t have to quit their day jobs.
“Most of our CASAs work full-time,” she says, adding: “We’re looking for a few good men and women.”