March 4, 2007- Voice of a Child, CASA program searching for volunteers
by, Stacy Horany Times Record News

Would you like to hold out a helping hand for a child in need?

Becoming a CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate, could be your opportunity to reach out and give a child hope. Tiffany Dior, executive assistant and operations coordinator for CASA in Wichita Falls, said Saturday will be the first day of training for potential CASA volunteers. Subsequent training sessions will run March 17, March 24 and March 31. The training sessions run from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

"We are looking for volunteers," Dior said. "New cases come in every single day - we could always use extra help." Dior said CASA volunteers are the "voice" of children who might be abused or neglected in state custody.

"Basically we are there to safeguard the best interest of the children that are in state custody because of abuse or neglect. We interview the child, parents, family members, school officials, teachers or anyone else who may be involved in the child's life," she said. "It's always our goal to get the child back into their homes, but if that's not the best choice, then it's our job to put them in the right place."

Dior said CASA volunteers are not law enforcement officials or Child Protective Services agents, and they have a unique opportunity to see both sides of a situation. "We have a level of trust with the parents - the ones who are trying to get their children back, the ones trying to get treatment for drug addiction and the ones who are relinquishing rights," Dior said. "We're an impartial representative of the child appointed by the court."

She said volunteers need to be over the age of 21, and they must pass an interview and extensive background check, to make sure they mesh with the CASA program goals. They must attend 30 hours of training initially, followed by 12 hours of continued education training during the year. The volunteers must also be willing to commit to a year of volunteer work, because they are often the only stable thing in the child's life during an emotionally troubling time. "It wouldn't be right for the child to be in the middle of a case and to lose their volunteer," Dior said. "We have to be honest and thorough in our interviewing and training."

Dior said each volunteer gets to tell the organization their preferences such as what age child they would like to work with. Each volunteer only takes on one case at a time. She said volunteers can spend as little as five hours a month or as much as 50 hours a month on their cases. "They set their own schedule," Dior said. After the volunteers complete training, they are sworn in by a judge as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. And she said even after cases are completed, CASA volunteers still interact with the children they help. "Most of our CASAs still remain close to the people that they've helped. They still want to know what is going on, they still want to be their friends and support them," Dior said.

For more information about volunteering to become a CASA, call Dior at (940) 766-0552. You can also visit CASAs Web site at www. casawf.org.

Sheppard Senator editor/general assignment reporter Stacy Horany can, be reached at (940) 763-7548 or by e-mail at horanys@Times-RecordNews.com.