In two years working as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate volunteer, Cathy Chapman has seen the extremes of a childhood in crisis, from 10 children crammed into beds in a home with holes in the roof to parents fighting for custody while unwilling or unable to give up drugs.
Through her work with CASA, a national organization that pairs volunteers with children navigating the youth court system, Chapman has watched homes stabilize, families reunite and children find safe places to grow, learn and begin to break cycles of poverty and foster care.
“We knock around different ideas of what’s the best way to try to help the family and the children,” she told The Dispatch on Friday. “Each advocate only gets one case, so that allows somebody to work with the child more. … It takes time to build a relationship, but just to have someone there consistently … that’s the one person that they know will be there for them and will stand up for them in court.”
Chapman’s role as a CASA volunteer in Hinds County involved guiding children through the youth court system while also building relationships with each child beyond the courtroom and helping judges understand what is truly in their best interest.
Now, people in the Golden Triangle will have the opportunity to make that same impact.
CASA of the Golden Triangle is training its first group of volunteers to serve children who have been remanded to Child Protective Services custody in Oktibbeha and Clay counties.
Volunteers will meet with children at least twice a month at school or home, accompanying them to court dates and getting to know them well enough to make informed recommendations about their needs and futures to the court, said Oktibbeha County Youth Court Judge Lee Ann Turner.
“They’re able to talk to the child’s teachers, their medical providers, their foster placements and their natural parents,” Turner said. “… So they can really help give me the information that might not otherwise come out, that really can help me do a better job for that child, that will benefit them very specifically.”
In youth court, children are already assigned a guardian ad litem to represent their best interests, but Turner said most people in those positions cover multiple counties and juggle heavy caseloads. CASA volunteers, by contrast, are assigned only one child or set of siblings for the duration of a case, whether it lasts weeks, months or years.
“Nothing is as intensive or as specific as the CASA volunteer who goes through the whole realm of (thinking), ‘How are they doing in school? Do they need extra tutoring support?’” Turner said. “They can advocate and make sure that this child gets that. They can make sure that fewer things get dropped and that the child really has what they need. … It’s that person that is there, no matter what else might fall away or change.”
Turner said that level of attention can surface details that help shape her decisions. Understanding that a child’s grades are slipping because they are caring for younger siblings, or knowing something as simple as their dream of becoming a doctor, can influence the outcome of a case.
“The decisions a … youth court judge makes regarding the child will affect the rest of their lives, and these trained advocates really help by getting to know the child in a way that I can’t,” she said.
Moving forward
The program is funded entirely through grants and donations. It has secured $150,000 in reimbursable funding from the state and national CASA organizations, along with a $5,000 donation from 100 Women who Care, a nonprofit that supports local initiatives like Starkville Strong and J.L. King Center.
That initial funding has allowed CASA of the Golden Triangle to begin training volunteers, but more funding is needed.
Organizers are working to raise between $30,000 and $50,000 to hire a full-time executive director who will oversee operations in both counties, manage volunteer training and help grow the program. Carolyn Poston, a youth advocate for Clay County, is serving as interim director.
The first training class includes eight people from Oktibbeha County and two people from Clay County, though all can serve wherever the need is greatest. Volunteers complete a 30-hour online course, must be at least 21 and pass a background check before being sworn in.
Turner said she hopes to raise the funds needed for a full-time director within three months, with more organized fundraising efforts expected once the program launches its website. In the meantime, donations can be sent to P.O. Box 815 in West Point.
“This is one of those things that really can change a child’s life,” Turner said. “And it’ll change our community because we’ll have these trained advocates … who help those children who are going to grow up, and many of them will remain in our communities, to have those better lives, those successful, healthy lives that everybody wants.”
Lowndes County has not joined the program in its first year, though Allison Kizer, the county’s youth court judge, said she will consider implementing it once it is fully established.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 26 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
