As case number rise, counties seek volunteers to speak up for children in court system
Inside a courtroom at the Cumberland County courthouse. (Photo by WITF’s Tim Lambert).
(Harrisburg) — Hundreds of midstate children are in foster care because of abuse, neglect, or trauma.
Counties are looking for volunteers to advocate for the best interests of those children during court proceedings.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) speak up for the needs of children in the child welfare system. Those needs range from who the child should be placed with to items they may have forgotten when switching foster homes.
York County’s CASA coordinator Ann Mushendwa said the volunteers make a big difference.
“A CASA has one case. Your average caseworker can have 25 to 30 cases,” she said. “So, the CASA can really devote their time to knowing what’s happening with that child so that the judge is aware of what’s going on.”
York County has about 50 volunteers advocating for roughly 100 children.
“Then we probably have 200 to 250 more children who could use a CASA volunteer,” Mushendwa said. “The hope would [be] someday to have a CASA volunteer for every child.”
Mushendwa said York County has the third-highest number of child welfare cases in the state, behind Philadelphia and Allegheny counties.
She added she’s seen cases increase over the last decade, due to factors such as changes in mandated reporting laws and the opioid crisis.
York County is holding an information session for potential volunteers at noon and 5:30 p.m. on February 12 in the Jury Assembly Room in the York County Judicial Center.
Cumberland County is also looking for more volunteers and will hold its next training session March 4. Last year, 44 CASAs worked with 66 children in the county. Those interested can find more information here.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
