By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A program where community members advocate for children in abuse and neglect cases is seeking new volunteers.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ottawa County will hold in-person training sessions for interested individuals on Tuesdays over a five-week period starting Sept. 15 and continuing through Oct. 13 at Arbor Circle, 412 Century Lane in Holland.
CASA volunteers are appointed by the court to conduct an independent assessment of child abuse and neglect cases. Their role is to collect information and advocate on behalf of the child or children they have been assigned to.
“The assigned volunteer sees the children or child they are assigned to every 7-10 days, face to face,” said Hannah Aud, one of the coordinators for CASA.
“They get to know that child, what they want for their family, for the family situation … and they write a report to the court (recommending actions in the best interest of the child).”
In addition to visiting with their assigned child or children on a regular basis, volunteers also may communicate with biological parents, foster parents, the school the child may be attending, and therapists, to aid them in making a recommendation, Aud said.
“Our goal for our volunteers is to get as well-rounded of a viewpoint of a case, to provide their recommendations to the judge,” she said.
Suzanne Larson, a former Zeeland resident, has been a CASA volunteer for seven years. Larson had been a volunteer in the Kids Hope USA ministry when her sister, a CASA volunteer in Texas, recommended she consider the program. She uses words like “humbling” and “rewarding” to describe her work.
“(The difference in CASA is) the relationship that we can have, not only with the kids, but with anybody that we’re able to in the case, because we only typically have one case at a time, compared to a (foster care) case worker who has 13 right now. As a volunteer, I can advocate differently just because I have one kiddo,” Larson said.
Larson says the support she receives from CASA’s coordinators is so important to her work.
“You never, as a CASA volunteer, feel like you’re in this (alone), that it’s all on me,” she said.
CASA is funded primarily by Ottawa County, with supplemental funding from the Michigan CASA program and through local grants, Aud said.
CASA volunteers must be at least 21 years old, and have the ability to work with children, family members and professionals using concern, tact and basic human relation skills. Volunteers come from virtually every walk of life.
“We have volunteers that are accountants, we have volunteers that previously have worked in the schools,” Aud said. “I think the court really appreciates that kind of diversity and experience from our volunteers.”
Volunteers must complete 30 hours of training, combining the in-person training that starts next month with online courses. They spend anywhere from 5-15 hours each month on their cases – and they have the option to take on or decline cases depending on their availability, Aud said.
Over the past year, CASA has assisted 85 children from 46 families. The program currently has 36 active volunteers, working with a total of 44 children from 27 families, Aud said.
Training sessions run from 5:30 to 8:30 on Tuesday nights starting Sept. 15. The deadline to register for training is Aug. 31. For more information about CASA, email casa@arborcircle.org.
Zeeland Record
A program where community members advocate for children in abuse and neglect cases is seeking new volunteers.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ottawa County will hold in-person training sessions for interested individuals on Tuesdays over a five-week period starting Sept. 15 and continuing through Oct. 13 at Arbor Circle, 412 Century Lane in Holland.
CASA volunteers are appointed by the court to conduct an independent assessment of child abuse and neglect cases. Their role is to collect information and advocate on behalf of the child or children they have been assigned to.
“The assigned volunteer sees the children or child they are assigned to every 7-10 days, face to face,” said Hannah Aud, one of the coordinators for CASA.
“They get to know that child, what they want for their family, for the family situation … and they write a report to the court (recommending actions in the best interest of the child).”
In addition to visiting with their assigned child or children on a regular basis, volunteers also may communicate with biological parents, foster parents, the school the child may be attending, and therapists, to aid them in making a recommendation, Aud said.
“Our goal for our volunteers is to get as well-rounded of a viewpoint of a case, to provide their recommendations to the judge,” she said.
Suzanne Larson, a former Zeeland resident, has been a CASA volunteer for seven years. Larson had been a volunteer in the Kids Hope USA ministry when her sister, a CASA volunteer in Texas, recommended she consider the program. She uses words like “humbling” and “rewarding” to describe her work.
“(The difference in CASA is) the relationship that we can have, not only with the kids, but with anybody that we’re able to in the case, because we only typically have one case at a time, compared to a (foster care) case worker who has 13 right now. As a volunteer, I can advocate differently just because I have one kiddo,” Larson said.
Larson says the support she receives from CASA’s coordinators is so important to her work.
“You never, as a CASA volunteer, feel like you’re in this (alone), that it’s all on me,” she said.
CASA is funded primarily by Ottawa County, with supplemental funding from the Michigan CASA program and through local grants, Aud said.
CASA volunteers must be at least 21 years old, and have the ability to work with children, family members and professionals using concern, tact and basic human relation skills. Volunteers come from virtually every walk of life.
“We have volunteers that are accountants, we have volunteers that previously have worked in the schools,” Aud said. “I think the court really appreciates that kind of diversity and experience from our volunteers.”
Volunteers must complete 30 hours of training, combining the in-person training that starts next month with online courses. They spend anywhere from 5-15 hours each month on their cases – and they have the option to take on or decline cases depending on their availability, Aud said.
Over the past year, CASA has assisted 85 children from 46 families. The program currently has 36 active volunteers, working with a total of 44 children from 27 families, Aud said.
Training sessions run from 5:30 to 8:30 on Tuesday nights starting Sept. 15. The deadline to register for training is Aug. 31. For more information about CASA, email casa@arborcircle.org.
