Hundreds of foster children in Tarrant County need volunteer advocates
CASA of Tarrant County, a nonprofit that advocates for children in the state’s foster care system, is in desperate need of more volunteers to support abused and neglected children, the group’s leaders said.
The nonprofit works to pair volunteer advocates with a child or children who have been removed from their homes because of allegations of abuse or neglect. There are more than 400 children on a waiting list for volunteer advocates, said Natalie Stalmach, the chief development officer for CASA of Tarrant County.
“We would probably need to grow by at least 50% to serve all those children,” Stalmach said.
Volunteer advocates provide an essential service for children who have experienced abuse and neglect. When children have a CASA volunteer, they are more likely to get out of foster care and be reunified with family, Stalmach said. A CASA volunteer provides a source of continuity for children who have already experienced the trauma of changing homes.
“The caseworker might change, the attorney might change,” Stalmach said. But volunteer advocates “become the one constant for that child.”
Stalmach said the need for volunteers has increased in the last several years. As Tarrant County continues to grow, so does the number of abused and neglected children who need volunteer advocates.
CASA of Tarrant County is part of the nationwide Court Appointed Special Advocates. Volunteers start with about 33 hours of training. The monthly commitment is usually about five hours, and that involves visiting with the child or children, following up on the child’s case, and court hearings every three months, Stalmach said. Most of the volunteer work is flexible, and can be done based on the volunteer’s schedule, she added. Most CASA volunteers work full-time. The volunteer advocate’s role is to make a recommendation to the judge for the child’s permanent home, whether that be to live with parents or relatives, remain in foster care, or be put up for permanent adoption, according to the CASA website.
“If you are looking for an opportunity to really get plugged into your community and make a difference, this is the perfect way to do that,” Stalmach said. “I hear from volunteers all the time (that) this is life changing, not just for the children that they serve, but for you as a person.”
You can learn more and sign up on CASA’s website.
