By Brittany Nolan
Robin Krneta, executive director for the 13th Judicial District South of Court Appointed Special Advocates, was the featured speaker at the Monday meeting of the El Dorado Rotary Club.
Krneta began by briefing Rotarians on the history of CASA.
Initiated in 1977 by a Seattle judge who was faced with making decisions on behalf of neglected and abused children with only the information provided by state child protective services, CASA was formulated with the idea that dedicated volunteers could be dedicated to a case, speaking for children’s best interest. What began as a group of 50 volunteers has now grown to nearly 80,000 advocates in 49 states.
CASA came to the area in 1996, where all six of the counties that make up the 13th district were served by one program. In 2009, the district was divided into two entities: 13th North, consisting of Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, and Ouachita counties, and 13th South, made up of Union and Columbia counties. According to Krneta, 24 volunteers serve the children in 13th district south.
Judges currently assign juvenile cases of abuse and neglect to trained community CASA volunteers who become a crucial part in the effort to find a safe and permanent home for the child.
Advocates for the program provide these children with a voice in the juvenile court process by recognizing their struggles, their needs, and even signs of abuse or neglect.
“If our advocates are doing what they are trained to do, they can tell you about every aspect of their assigned child’s life,” said Krneta.
“We advocate for what’s in the child’s best interest with the hope that that best interest is the child returning to their parents’ home.”
Krneta said that many times, returning the child to the home of their parents is not the outcome, but when that is achieved, it breaks a cycle of abuse and neglect. A CASA success story that Krneta shared was that of a woman whose children were taken from her by child protective services. As a child, the mother was passed around from foster home to foster home, never belonging, and going on to drop out of school before finishing the sixth grade.
After earning her GED and completing the requirements to provide a stable and loving home to her children, her children were returned.
Duties that CASA volunteers perform include collecting factual information about the assigned case for the judge, appearing in court to present updated reports of factual findings, remaining with the assigned case until it is closed to provide a consistent figure in the proceedings and continuity for a child, and making recommendations to the court based on a child’s best interest and the facts of the case.
Krneta said that “all children have a right to a home with loving people who take care of them.”
CASA volunteers can expect a time commitment of 10 hours a month. This time is a combination of phone calls, emails, and visits with the children. Volunteers are screened prior to being accepted into the program, then trained in areas of the juvenile court system. Training in special advocacy techniques for abused and neglected children are also covered.
Those interested in volunteering as a court appointed special advocate can call the 13th Judicial District South’s office at 870-862-2272, or email [email protected]