NCK Casa: Darkness to Light Part 1

It's a New Year and that brings new hope, new opportunities and new goals. For most children, it is a time to relax and play with new toys or games and then get back into routine with school, friends, and activities. For most children.
For those children who are in foster care, it is a time to count the days until the next home visit or the next court date. It is a time to wonder why it is taking so long to get to go home or if they will ever get to go home. It is a time of waiting to find out where their next foster home will be; a time of anxiety about who their new teachers will be and a time of sadness as they are required to once again leave people and things behind. It is most likely a time where they experience anger about the situation they find themselves in through no fault of their own as they struggle to voice their anger, fear, frustration and sadness.
NCK CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) exists for these children. There are many of them. In 2015, 137 new child abuse and neglect cases were filed in the five counties we serve - Cloud (73), Jewell (8), Lincoln (14), Mitchell (29), and Republic (13). Every county saw an increase in cases filed this past year. We could sit and evaluate the reasons why but in the meantime the children are the ones who are often lost. Due to a limited number of volunteers, 19 of the 137 new child and abuse neglects cases filed was assigned a CASA volunteer. As frequent change, including high turnover and funding, continue to plague the agencies tasked to care for these children, NCK CASA is receiving more requests from the courts for CASA volunteers. 100% of the Judges, attorneys, mental health workers, teachers, and social workers surveyed in our area agree that CASA's make a difference with the children they serve.
CASA volunteers give of their time, energy and heart to advocate for the children they are assigned to by making sure that their needs are being met, by providing a voice for them in court, and by making recommendations to the judge about what is in the child's best interest. Our goal is to help find a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. Our volunteers help provide children consistency in their present circumstances and hope for their future.
CASA volunteers come from all walks of life. You do not have to be a lawyer or social worker to volunteer. We welcome volunteers from all cultures, professions, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Roughly half of our volunteers work full time and over half were 50 years of age or older. Each volunteer receives 30 hours of training prior to being assigned to their first case. Cases are assigned based on each volunteers comfort level and availability. Our volunteers do not walk alone as each receives a CASA supervisor who is with them every step of the way.
CASA volunteers are ordinary people who do extraordinary things for some of our community's most vulnerable children. In this New Year, join us in saying "I am for the Child." The next volunteer training starts February 1. For more information contact Crystal Paredes at NCK CASA 243-8200 or email nckcasa@cloudcountyks.org. Lift up a child's voice. A child's life.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA