CASA: A Voice for the Children

Agency ensures youngest victims a say in court

By SHELL ARMSTRONG

After years of trying – with no luck – to have a baby, Valerie and David Manns opted to adopt.

The Houma couple applied with a local agency and the state.

“A family friend told us about the state program, but warned us that it is rare to find babies,” Valerie recalls. “We thought maybe it would work out, so we decided to take a chance.”

In no time, the state notified the Manns that a 4-month-old boy, Matthew, was in need of a home. A representative of CASA of Terrebonne was soon assigned to the case as well.

Malnourished, developmentally delayed and emotionally shut down, Valerie remembers the infant as having virtually no personality. “He was just existing,” she said.

The Manns adopted Matthew, now age 4, one year ago last week. Today, he’s loving, sweet, inquisitive and funny, his mother boasts. “He’s an absolute joy.”

But Valerie is quick to admit the road to the final adoption was a bumpy one. Without CASA of Terrebonne, the Manns agree Matthew would have likely fallen through the cracks.

“We know that CASA saved Matthew’s life,” Valerie said. “He will never know how much they did for him … we don’t want him to know that part of his past. But we know. We’ll never forget how much they did.”

A VOICE FOR THE CHILDREN

Stacey Martin spends her days caring for children. As the director of CASA of Terrebonne, it is her life’s work.

The center advocates on behalf of abused and neglected children. Her clients – birth to age 17 – rely on court-appointed CASA volunteers to provide judges with an independent, factual view of their best interests.

The caseload fluctuates as children are reunited with their parents, released for adoption or turn 18 and age out of the system. Right now, the agency’s 66 active volunteers are working approximately 110 cases.

That figure includes cases from Lafourche Parish. CASA of Terrebonne’s board of directors agreed in June 2007 to oversee cases for CASA of Lafourche while they also train volunteers and help establish the program.

Martin said her job is to ensure the children assigned by the court to CASA’s care do not fall victim to the same abuse and neglect at the hands of the system as they did in their prior living situation.

“Our job is let the judge really know what is going on,” she explained. “If all he’s getting is what (the Office of Child Services), the attorney and what the family is saying – which could be three different things – it’s hard to make that decision.”

CASA serves as a bridge between the various services and the court, she said. And, of course, it provides a voice for the child. “Even if we don’t agree, and that child wants to go home, we tell the judge, ‘Johnny wants to go home and he wants me to tell you that.'”

Depending on the age of the child, he or she may never face the judge, Martin said. In those instances, the CASA volunteer is the child’s chance to be heard.

“It can be overwhelming initially,” she said, but volunteers are carefully trained before taking the oath as an officer of the court. “And we’re here for them every step of the way,” Martin noted.

CASA of Terrebonne holds two training sessions annually. (Efforts to get volunteers trained in Lafourche require three or four sessions yearly.)

Volunteers must be age 21 or older. Applications are available at CASA’s 309 Goode St. office in Houma or online at www.casaofterrebonne.org.

Prior to beginning the five-week sessions, volunteers undergo an interview and background screening process. In addition to a criminal background, the screening includes a check of the child abuse registry.

Training consists of a 30-hour course, which is held twice a week for three hours each night. Instructors cover the court system, family structures and the various aspects of a CASA volunteer’s job.

At the end of the training, volunteers are administered an oath and are asked to commit 24 months to the program because few of the cases have a quick resolution.

While the case is open, CASA volunteers serve as fact gatherers. “That’s what’s stressed,” Martin said. “We’re not getting opinions. All of the decisions are on the judge. Our job is to gather the information to help him know what is really going on regarding the child.”

“We have some volunteers who work their case and move on,” Martin said. “But we have some who are still with us from that first (graduating) class. And there are others that decide that this is not for them, and that’s OK.”

Because some children are never permanently placed, Martin said not all cases have a happy ending.

“I had one case for seven years,” she recalls. “The child had been in care since she was a baby. By the time she was 18, she didn’t want to have anything to do with the system anymore.”

Services are available for those who age out, Martin emphasized; however, teens often become frustrated with the process and beg out.

“That’s depressing and disheartening, but you can’t save them all,” she said. “We often have to remind our volunteers of that. You have those stories and then you have those awesome, wonderful stories with the happy endings.”

‘A LABOR OF LOVE’

For Skipper Kornegay, serving as a CASA volunteer is a labor of love.

“Anybody who has an interest in young people ought to give it a look-see,” the 64-year-old Houma retiree said. “It does take time, but it is not all consuming and doesn’t take all your waking hours to do.”

On average, Kornegay said he spends about four hours monthly working his cases. “Depending on the circumstances, some may require more. Some also may require travel.”

Although his trips have been mostly limited to Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, Kornegay did have to travel to a prison to interview a parent who was jailed after abusing a child.

The father of three children – one deceased – and three grandchildren, Kornegay’s always been surrounded by youngsters. Add to the mix his membership in the Kiwanis and the youth organizations his insurance agency sponsored, and Kornegay admits his concern for today’s youth comes naturally.

Three years ago, he decided to volunteer his free time to CASA of Terrebonne. “Like anybody, I was a little apprehensive when it first started,” Kornegay recalls. “I didn’t know a lot about the legal system, the state and how the foster family system works.”

After completing the five-week training course, Kornegay has a new take on his role.

“It’s actually equally rewarding and, at times, depressing,” he said. “You come to realize that there are a lot of abused and neglected children in this state.”

In his three years with CASA, Kornegay has been assigned three cases. One boy was reunited with his mother. A second aged out of the system when he turned 18. And the third has yet to come to fruition, he said.

“It is rewarding to see some of these children either be reunited with their parents or ultimately be placed in a home that is comforting and nurturing to them, which a lot of them haven’t had.”

In keeping with CASA’s practice, each of Kornegay’s cases have been males. Surprisingly, CASA of Terrebonne has few male volunteers – something Kornegay would like to see change.

“So few men volunteer, despite the area’s need for men to step up and be CASA volunteers or Big Brothers,” he said.

He urges others – men and women – to go through the training session to determine whether or not volunteering for CASA is an option.

“The youth today need someone to stand up and be a voice for them,” he said. “For me, it is nothing other than a labor of love.”

‘THEY WEAR MANY HATS’

District Judge Randy Bethancourt relies on CASA case findings as an invaluable tool in cases involving child abuse.

“The CASA concept is that volunteers work for the best interests of the child,” he said. “That seems to be a statement we should all be focused on.”

However, agencies are often limited in what they can do for a child. As a tool for the court, Bethancourt said CASA advocates are able to follow up on what services the child needs but may not be receiving and the like.

“CASA is a tool for the court,” he explained, “to be independent of the state, defense attorneys or the district attorney’s office. They independently investigate (the case) and report back to the court.”

And unlike state agencies, which face hundreds of cases monthly, CASA volunteers are assigned a more manageable load: one to two cases at a time.

“It’s a really good tool for me,” the judge said of CASA. “They truly give a judge a different perspective of the case from the child’s point of view, as they should.”

“They have no ax to grind. They’re not representing a government agency, per se, or prosecuting or defending the case,” Bethancourt added. “They are here to hold the hand of the child and to tell the court their perception of what is going on in a case.”

As a CASA advocate, the volunteers act as investigator, advocate and even a witness in a case.

“They wear a lot of hats,” Bethancourt said. “We’re very fortunate to have them. From my view, our local CASA is well run and has good people – they have good intentions and get along. We’re fortunate.”

MANNS FAMILY A CASA SUCCESS STORY

Valerie Manns is CASA of Terrebonne’s self-described “strongest advocate.”

When she and husband David opened their doors to then-4-month-old Matthew, a slew of social workers and others – including the birth mom – came along, too.

Over the next three years, the Manns were in and out of court. The one constant: Matthew’s CASA volunteer.

“They’re so important,” Valerie said. “At four months old, Matthew couldn’t speak for himself. His volunteer always remembered Matthew was a person. She always approached it from what was in his best interest.”

Early on, the Manns agreed that, although their attachment to Matthew was as strong as any birth parent’s, if the court determined that the mother was able to care for the child, they would acquiesce.

“If she was able to take care of him, we agreed he should go back and that was something we would have to accept,” Valerie said.

In Matthew’s case, however, it did not take long for CASA to determine that the child’s birth mother would likely never be able to care for the boy.

Three years after Matthew arrived in their home, the Manns were finally given clearance to adopt him.

“We were always aware of what was going on – aware of the possible outcomes and what services were available,” Valerie said. “We didn’t even have a lawyer when we went to court. We didn’t need one; Matt had one.”

Today, Valerie said Matthew is where he belongs. “We don’t look at him or think of him as adopted,” she said. “He’s ours.”

And she is forever grateful to CASA of Terrebonne for advocating on her son’s behalf.

“From the very beginning, they looked at Matthew as someone who was worthy of having a real life,” she said. They went to court and didn’t back down at all. If was always assuring for us to know someone was out there fighting hard for Matthew. We’ll always be grateful.”