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We
recognize that all
of us have different obligations, priorities, and
interests that limit the time and effort we can devote to being a
CASA. One thing this work is not,
is entirely predictable let alone regular. Particularly at the
beginning of a case you'll need to cover a good deal of ground in a
relatively short period of time. Within 60 days of the Department
of Human Services taking protective custody of a child, a court hearing
is scheduled to review the evidence indicating the need for DHS
involvement in the case and continued custody of the child. It is
largely up to DHS to make the case, however CASAs are required to make
their own independent investigation of the facts, particularly as
background for recommending future actions the court will require of
parents to remedy the problems leading to the child's removal, as well
as actions that need to be taken to ensure the proper care of the child
while in foster placement. Proper care can include the provision
of delayed medical services, appropriate psychological counseling,
individual educational services, and of course stable and appropriate
foster placement itself.
To be able to make
well-reasoned recommendations, you'll need to get to
know the child, and to the extent possible the parents, as well as meet
school staff and any other people who have had a recent or significant
impact on the child's life. Often DHS workers don't have the time
to make some of these contacts, let alone establish any kind of
relationship with many people who are or could be providing support to
the child or his family. Understanding the extended family and
enlisting the support of those members willing and appropriately
positioned to help can be a key to shortening the child's stay in
foster care. As a volunteer working just for the child's best
interest, you'll get a warmer reception among family members than the
DHS worker (no matter how professional or agreeable that worker might
be), and this can work to develop a "home-grown" solution to the
child's placement that can recieve wide family support.
Once the 60-day
Adjudication and Disposition Hearing has been
completed, the CASA's role becomes one of monitoring progress in the
case which can be accomplished largely on the CASA's own
timetable. You may find yourself spending as little
as an hour a week sometimes, or perhaps a full day or two in
preparation for a periodic court report. Each case is different;
some with crises to be met, new leads to pursue, care provider meetings
to attend, or you may just want to try to pin down a busy social worker
for an informal conversation. All in all, flexibility is the key,
however a large proportion of what you'll be doing can usually be done
much at your convenience. When you'll be out of town or otherwise
obligated, ways can usually be found to pass along your input or gather
information on your behalf.
The real key to
commitment, however, is the one you'll be making to
your child. Almost invariably, it's the CASA who has the
longest-lasting and most consistent relationship with the child
throughout his foster care experience. Of course the most
intense relationships have to be those with foster parents, and
depending upon the circumstances, those experiences may be wonderful -
even leading to adoption, or tragically potentially even
disastrous. From the child's perspective, we're here kind of in
the background watching over his care-givers and ready to walk with the
child through whatever changes might be in store for him until he
regains or finds a new permanent home.
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