Norma:
Day two
training: Advocacy
On day two of
training, Norma was the first to arrive. She couldn’t wait to learn more and
Peggy didn’t let her down. Day two is what Peggy called “the meat and potatoes
day”, when much of the in-depth training information is taught.
Advocacy was the
topic for the day and they covered a wide variety of sub chapters that broke
down and defined advocacy in new ways. The simplest definition of advocate is:
the representation of a cause or person who cannot necessarily represent
themselves; whether it is a cause that needs a chair or a child that needs a
voice. CASA volunteers are the voice in the clamor of legalese and paper work;
those who represent the child’s best interests, hopes and greatest desires.
These children
do not understand the things going on around them. They have suffered some type
of abuse or neglect and have subsequently been ripped from their homes. Even if
the home situation is less than ideal, it is usually the only home the children
have known or are even willing to recognize. Then, they are placed with strangers
and sometimes changing CPS caseworkers, guardian ad litems, and even foster
home placements. The one constant in this child’s life is usually the CASA
volunteer. It is the volunteer’s priority to advocate for the needs of this
overlooked child. A child with a CASA volunteer spends five months, on average,
less time in a foster home than one without.
Peggy stressed
the importance of confidentiality of the children CASA represents. She said you
can’t even tell your best friend the details of the case. Peggy did mention
some people like to team up with a friend or significant other to represent a
child. Actually, there was a husband and wife who were in the training together
right now. She explained this would
allow them to talk about the case together and tackle the responsibilities
together as well. Norma scribbled a note in her training manual to visit with
her friend Jennifer. Jennifer and her husband Michael liked to do things
together.
Documentation
was the next topic covered. Because CASA advocates are legally appointed by the
judge and because of the legal issues of each case, it is incredibly important
to document every single thing. Peggy said the judges in the Lubbock area have
a good working relationship with CASA and they take the advocates
recommendations into serious consideration. Those recommendations have to be
backed up by proper documentation. Phone calls, emails, visits with teachers,
caseworkers, and relatives, face-to-face visits with the child - everything
must be documented for that child’s case file. Peggy said organization was key
and Norma was an organized person.
Peggy talked
about the types of cases next. They are TMC, or temporary managing
conservatorship, and PMC, or permanent managing conservatorship. Peggy said
ideally she would like all cases to be TMC. That would mean there is a 12-18
month timeline for resolution for the case and the child would be permanently placed
into the home of a relative, would go back home to their mother or father if
deemed in the best interest of the child, or get legally adopted.
Sadly, about 70
percent of the children in the South Plains who are currently in the foster
care system are PMC. That means they will age out of the system when they turn
18 without being adopted. Peggy told the story of a child, who we will call
Sally for this blog, who she fought for as an advocate. Peggy was Sally’s
volunteer advocate for more than ten years. Sally was taken from her home at a
young age and got moved around to multiple foster homes throughout her
childhood, as did her brothers and sisters. When Sally turned 18 she was on her
own, legally. Luckily for Sally, the last foster home she was placed in was a
good fit and she formed a strong, loving bond with the family. And while only two
percent of foster children take advantage of free college tuition offered in
Texas, Sally is part of the two percent. She is now a student at Texas Tech University
and Peggy is still in contact with her to this day.
The final thing
Peggy talked about during day two of training was volunteer support. The reason
the volunteer supervisors are at CASA is to provide training and support to the
many people who are volunteer advocates. It is important for volunteers to
communicate with their supervisor, and visit with them about what is going on
with their case, how they feel and what they think about it. Because of lack of
volunteers, supervisors take on cases as well and they can understand the
situation the advocate is going through.
Officer
Gooden/CPS Bob Johnson:
Officer Gooden
had just gotten Ben and Robert settled down in front of the television, eating
their pizza when a knock sounded on the front door. He went to answer the door
and found a short, middle-aged man with very little hair and wire rim glasses
standing there. He was holding a three-inch-thick file folder in one hand and
the other was extended towards Officer Gooden.
“Officer
Gooden?” he asked, “I am CPS caseworker Bob Johnson. We spoke on the phone
earlier about the Harris-Price family.”
Officer Jim
Gooden nodded and stepped aside to allow Mr. Johnson into the home.
“I responded to
a noise complaint called in by a neighbor across the hall. When I came on
scene, Ben here,” he nodded, indicating the older boy who was trying to eat
pizza, pay attention to what the two men in the kitchen were saying and stay
awake, all the while, wheezing as each breath left his body. “Ben answered the
door and said their mom, Kathy Price, left two nights ago to get formula for
the baby and never came back. There is no food in the house, so I ordered a
pizza and as you can see, it was a big hit,” he said with a smile. The smile
faded as he turned his attention to the nine-month-old on his hip.
“When I arrived
on scene, she was crying and in desperate need of a diaper change. I am not
sure how long she sat in the diaper I found her in, but I called the paramedics
out to come and assess her physical situation. They should be here any minute
now.”
Bob Johnson was
taking notes and listening as Officer Gooden told him almost the exact same
story that been documented as having happened only a few months before. A few
of the details had changed, but it was ultimately the same situation. He shook
his head as he realized the children would have to be taken from the home this
time.
He handed a bag of diapers, clean onesies, sterilized
bottles and formula to Officer Gooden so he could take care of baby Rose while
he made some calls to figure out what to do with the three children.
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