Married with two children, Aurora resident Gabe Velez said hearing about children who are hurt, mistreated or neglected always hits his “soft spot.”
One day after reading about Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Kane County, a nonprofit organization that advocates for abused and neglected children within the court system, he decided that instead of thinking that someone should do something, he would do something.
Now he devotes his time to give a voice to children who may be “unable or afraid to speak up.”
After going through 40 hours of training which concluded with being sworn in as a court advocate by a juvenile court judge, Velez has assisted in two cases.
One case recently was successfully closed, and the infant was returned to both parents.
“Not all cases end with such a happy ending,” Velez said. “For the child to be returned home, it is a win.”
The group becomes involved in cases where the Department of Children and Family Services has been unsuccessful in assisting to remedy a situation or a child is at immediate risk of harm, according to Deb McQuaid, the director of advocate education for CASA Kane County.
In most cases, she said, the child is at risk due to a parent’s substance abuse or mental illness.
If a child is removed from the home and put into foster care, McQuaid said, within 48 hours, a shelter care hearing is held where a judge makes a determination what action is necessary due to probable cause or an immediate risk to the child.
At the hearing, one of CASA Kane County’s five advocate supervisors attends, and CASA is named “guardian ad litem” to the child, which means that in the legal setting the group makes sure that the child’s best interests are maintained.
A CASA volunteer is assigned to the case and meets with the child and other individuals significant in their lives — including doctors, therapists, and teachers — to make a recommendation for the child.
Group volunteers play a role in ensuring “permanency for the children through an enduring family relationship that is safe and meant to last a lifetime.”
Most cases that utilize a group volunteer last three years, McQuaid said. The goal is to return the children to their homes, which happens in about 40 percent of the cases CASA is involved in. Otherwise, a relative is named the child’s guardian or adoption occurs following termination of parental rights.
CASA was started in 1977 by a Seattle judge after he witnessed too many children falling through the cracks of the system, McQuaid said. Now there are over 950 local CASA offices.
Started in 1998 with only two volunteers, CASA Kane County has grown to 280 volunteers, each devoting about five to 15 hours a month, she added.
“Unfortunately, we served more than 600 children last year alone,” she said.
Aurora resident Paulita Fonseca, who retired from East Aurora School District 131 in June, has
Fonseca, who moved to Aurora from Puerto Rico in 1967 when she was 14 and speaks both English and Spanish, said there is a need for volunteers who speak more than one language.
For her, the most fulfilling time is when a child is able to be reunited with parents, she said. One of her cases began with an infant, and five years later a relative adopted the child.
CASA case workers are unique in that they are able to access all pertinent court records, maintain regular contact with the child, and are present at all court hearings.
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People often enter the program saying they want to give back, McQuaid said.
“But if you talk to one of our volunteers, they would say how much they receive from working with the kids,” she said.
CASA volunteers
For information about volunteering with CASA, email Deb McQuaid at [email protected].
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter.