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Family & Youth E-Newsletter, Lake Charles, LA April 2010 |
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April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, Cont'd
learned, as well as the needs and wishes
of the child, along with fact based recommendations as to what they
believe is the child’s best interest, to the Family & Juvenile Court
Judge. Finally, CASA’s serve as a safety net, ensuring these
children do
Becoming a CASA volunteer requires no special background, simply a love for children and a desire to help. Potential volunteers must also be able to successfully pass a thorough criminal background check. Volunteers receive 40 hours of initial training, and are required to receive an additional 12 hours annually to maintain their certification. After completion of their training, volunteers are sworn in by a Family & Juvenile Court Judge, and can then accept their first case. While it’s said that someone who can devote a day a month can be a successful CASA volunteer, the statistics show that most volunteers do spend more time working on behalf of their children. Being a CASA does require a commitment, because being a CASA has meaning and value, and it would not be so if there was not a right way to do it.
While many have sought to quantify the
cost of child abuse to our society, and it is substantial,
statistics
Special thank you to the Louisiana Children's Justice Act for support CASA.
To learn more, to volunteer, or for more information on any of these events, please call the CASA office at 337-436-9533, email david@fyca.org, or visit our website at www.fyca.org.
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Family & Youth web page is designed for educational and informational use only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal medical and/or mental health attention or treatment. You may contact us at 337-436-9533 for further information. Family & Youth, 220 Louie Street, Lake Charles, LA 70611, 337-436-9533, www.fyca.org Copyright Family & Youth Counseling Agency, Inc. 2010 |
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not slip through the cracks of an overburdened child welfare
system. While other parties in the system – Judges, attorneys,
child welfare workers, etc., - are all dealing with multiple cases
at the same time, CASA volunteers are assigned to one only one case,
allowing them to devote their full time and attention to their CASA
children, their needs, and their best interests. 
While not everyone can be a CASA
volunteer, there are other ways to help. Scheduling someone from
the CASA program to talk to a civic group, church group or other
organization to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect in our
community is a start, and a great way for potential volunteers to
learn about the program. Presentations are also available, for
adults and children, on how to keep children safe by recognizing and
taking steps to prevent child abuse. Participating in our annual
ignore the fact that every abused child has a face, a
name, hopes, dreams, and desires, and all of this changes, through
no fault of their own, when they are abused and neglected by those
they love.