VFC needs volunteers to help lift up the voices of children

The issue

In our society the basic needs and rights of children are entrusted to their families, but when the family — for whatever reason — is unable to meet those obligations, our most vulnerable children are placed in the foster care and child welfare system.

That system is full of compassionate lawyers, judges, social workers and foster families, but according to recent statistics, each year more than 748,000 children are placed in foster care nationally. This intense need can strain the system to the point where they are simply unable to protect the rights of each child.

So the little girl who has already suffered in an abusive home, enters the foster care system which places her in three or four different homes in just a few months. Or the two siblings who lost their mother to incarceration are split up and living in different foster homes.

Solution

In 1977 a family court judge created an innovative new program called Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children. CASA is a national nonprofit organization which trains and supports volunteers to speak out and act as advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children. They are trained to work within the child welfare and family court systems and are appointed by the juvenile judge to individual cases. With the help of a CASA volunteer, a child is half as likely to languish in the foster care system, and that much more likely to find a safe and permanent home.

Call-To-Action

In the last six weeks alone, Voices for Children/Court Appointed Special Advocate Program has had to turn away 42 children. These children need a Court Appointed Special Advocate but there simply are not enough volunteers. We have to look into the eyes of these precious children and hear their heart-breaking stories knowing that without enough volunteers, there is simply nothing we can do. To give a child a court appointed special advocate is to give them a voice; to give them a voice is to give them hope; to give them hope is to give them the world.

Qualifications

Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age, have a clean background and truly care about children. Complete training will be provided.

Contact

Please contact Voices for Children at 870-536-5922 or 870-329-7976, or e-mail vfc@pbreynoldscenter.org

Donate

In these hard economic times, it is more important than ever to have the support of the community. Tax deductible financial contributions can be mailed to 211 W. Third Ave., Suite 110, Pine Bluff, Ark., 71601. Contributions can be made in honor of or in memory of your parents, children, or other loved ones.

Note: Voices for Children/Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is not associated with the CASA Women and Children’s Shelter.

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Kim Smith is the executive director of Voices for Children.