Apr 4, 2018 5 min read

CASA for Kids Inc. was established in 2002 and is one of only 25 Court Appointed Special Advocates programs serving counties in Pennsylvania.

The organization was founded based on the findings of a feasibility study initiated by a group of concerned citizens, child welfare agencies and Judge Katherine B. Emery, who is now president judge in Washington County, following the death of an abused and neglected young girl who got “lost in the cracks” of the system.

Emery recognized a need for an “objective fact-finder for the court” who would focus solely on the needs and wishes of the child. This fact-finder would make recommendations that would then help the court make more informed decisions.

We recently caught up with Vivian Osowki, executive director of CASA for Kids, to talk about the need for more volunteers, upcoming volunteer trainings and the organization’s biggest fundraiser, Chefs for CASA, set to take place April 27 at Bella Sera.

Q. What is the mission of CASA for Kids?

A. We advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the Washington County juvenile court system. By training community volunteers to serve as fact-finders and speak for the children in court, we can meet the needs of the children to ensure safety and permanency in their lives.

Only the most serious cases are referred to CASA for Kids by the judges in the juvenile court system. These are children who have been severely abused, sexually assaulted, neglected, and/or have spent most of their lives in foster care and who desperately need one individual to look after their interests and needs.

Q. What are the responsibilities of the volunteers?

A. Because the primary focus of our volunteers, or fact-finders, is on the child and his or her needs, the volunteer spends time working with the family, foster families, caseworkers from Children and Youth Services and many other types of child welfare providers.

All of the children assigned to our CASA program have been victims of abuse and/or neglect and are in the child welfare/dependency system. The CASA program wants to bring the most accurate information and recommendations to the court system that are in that child’s best interest. The ultimate goal is to achieve a safe “forever home” for our CASA children. Each case is different, and the work can be difficult, but our volunteers have a profound impact and can make a difference for the future of a child.

A CASA volunteer makes a significant commitment of their time to work with the children and families to provide continuity and an objective perspective to a child’s life. In fact, many of our CASA volunteers have been involved with their child for two or three years, in spite of turnover in caseworkers and attorneys. Our volunteers donate an average of 10 to 15 hours a month to investigate and monitor their case and to be acquainted with the children by making frequent visits. CASA volunteers are included in all pretrial conferences and in all in-chamber discussions and testimonies and/or depositions, and at all court hearings. Each volunteer is afforded individual time at each court hearing to speak on behalf of the child. They also detail findings in a written court report and make recommendations regarding what placement, service and visitation are in the child’s best interest. CASA volunteers remain on a case until a safe, permanent home is established and the case closes.

Q. How many volunteers are there currently?

A. We currently have 42 active volunteers who are speaking out on behalf of 101 children in our program. Unfortunately, we have 17 children on our waiting list needing a CASA advocate. We are always in need of CASA volunteers because new children are assigned to our program continuously.

Sometimes, we have to ask Judge Michael Lucas, juvenile dependency judge, to hold off on assigning us cases because we don’t want a long waiting list. Our goal is to assign a volunteer to a child as soon as possible.

To date, more than 500 children have been referred to our program, of which more than 450 children’s cases have been resolved through the efforts of our volunteers. Unfortunately, however, for every closed or resolved case, another one is opened.

Q. How does someone become a volunteer?

A. To become a CASA volunteer, the candidate must go through a background check, the CASA training and court observations. Upon successful completion, they are sworn in by Judge Lucas and become a “friend of the court,” which gives them the ability to speak up for the child assigned to them.

The next training will take place in the fall. Because volunteers need to be closely supervised, we can only train twice a year due to our small staff.

However, we just received the good news that we can expand our program through a national CASA grant, which will support an additional staff member to supervise volunteers.

Q. What is the Chefs for CASA fundraiser?

A. The Chefs for CASA fundraiser is our biggest annual fundraiser that, this year, will take place on Friday, April 27, at Bella Sera in Canonsburg. This event raises money to ensure that the abused/neglected children of Washington County have a voice by providing well-trained CASA volunteer advocates.

The evening will feature delicious food made by talented chefs from area restaurants. There also will be entertainment and a Chinese auction. More information will be posted on our website, www.casawashingtoncounty.org, or you can call the CASA office at 724-228-0414.