Local Gila County CASA office seeks new volunteers during Child Abuse Prevention Month

My name is Abby. I've been abused.
Abby is a 5-year-old in Kindergarten who loves spaghetti, playing with dolls and playing hide-and-seek. Abby was living with her stepmom and biological father when Child Protective Services had to remove her from her home due to abuse and neglect. When Abby was just a baby, her mother died, resulting in her alcohol-dependent father becoming her primary caretaker. Because of his addiction, Abby’s father can rarely hold a steady job. He is prone to yelling and cursing at his family, and on multiple occasions, he has kicked Abby and punched her stepmother. Abby’s stepmother tries to protect the child from her father’s violence, but must work double shifts to provide for the family. When Abby’s stepmother is not home, Abby’s father frequently consumes large quantities of alcohol, leaving him passed out and unable to care for his daughter. Abby often has no clean clothes to wear to school, and some nights she goes to bed without having eaten any dinner. Authorities became aware of Abby’s abuse and neglect after her teacher noticed a bruise near Abby’s eye and reported it. Will you advocate for a child like Abby?

(Payson, Ariz.—April 4, 2013) April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, CASA of Gila County, is focusing on educating the public and recruiting volunteers during a month-long campaign called “Advocate. Don’t Wait.”

Throughout the month of April, the CASA program will distribute informational bookmarks, posters and recruitment cards statewide in an effort to educate the community about child abuse and neglect, and to issue a call to action for people to advocate for children.

“CASA volunteers have the unique opportunity to be the one consistent person in the life of an abused or neglected child,” said CASA of Gila County Program Coordinator Barbara Muñoz. “A child who has a CASA in his or her life is less likely to languish in foster care and more likely to access a safe and permanent home.”

CASA volunteers are critical figures in the lives of children who have suffered from abuse and neglect.  Appointed by judges, the role of a volunteer is to serve as an advocate for a child in foster care. CASA volunteers gather all of the information involving a child’s case and make formal recommendations to the juvenile court on the child’s behalf.

“I became a CASA in order to be a voice in court for children, who can seldom advocate for themselves,” said Leslie Tarallo, a volunteer with CASA of Gila County. “The need out there is just so great right now.”

In Payson, there are currently 30 children living in out-of-home care and 24 CASA volunteers serving those children and in Globe, there are 72 children living in out-of-home care and only three CASA volunteers serving those children.

For more information on CASA of Gila County, or how you can volunteer, contact Barbara Muñoz at (928) 474-7145 or bmunoz@courts.az.gov or visit www.casaofgilacounty.org

  Child Abuse Statistics:  

·         In 2012, the average monthly number of reports to the Child Abuse Hotline was approximately 2,655.

·         Neglect is the most common form of child abuse followed by physical abuse.

·         Reports of child abuse and neglect have been consistently rising in Arizona since 2010

·         There are currently more than 14,000 Arizona children living in out-of-home care

·         The majority of children who are in out-of-home care in Arizona are age 1 to 5.

  More about CASA:  

The CASA program, which is managed by the Arizona Supreme Court and has offices in all 15 Arizona counties, recruits and trains community-based volunteers to speak up for the rights of abused and neglected children in court. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to foster children who have the greatest need for an advocate. Volunteers do not provide placement or a home for the child, but are strictly advocates who submit their recommendations directly to the judge hearing a child’s case. CASA volunteers complete 30 hours of training to prepare them for their duties.

   CASA volunteers:  

      Volunteers go through a rigorous screening process including interviews, reference check, a fingerprint check, and polygraph exam

      Volunteers are asked to make a commitment to one case until its conclusion, typically involving 10-20 hours per month

      Volunteers must complete 30 hours of pre-service training

      CASA volunteers are advocates, not mentors.  Their objective is to help the court system determine the best outcome for the child

      CASA volunteers try to build a 360-degree view of the child and his or her surroundings. To do this, they meet with teachers, counselors, physicians, and guardians

      CASA volunteers work to ensure that children are in safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.