Friday, September 24, 2010

The Power of a CASA Volunteer in Juvenile Court



At the request of the National CASA Association, Carrie-Leigh Cloutier, Executive Director of Chaves County CASA, wrote this article about the needs of abused children in Juvenile Court.


The article is featured on National CASA's website.


CASA volunteers are valued in juvenile court just the same way they are in dependency court. The Chaves County CASA Program has been training volunteers to provide advocacy in juvenile court since 1995.

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I’ll never forget the first time I met Bill. He stood six foot three inches tall, weighed 260 pounds, was pale and blond, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit as he sat in the courtroom waiting for his hearing. The glare on his face thinly masked the fear behind his eyes. His open anger revealed even more dread. The constant tics and grunts of his Tourette syndrome grew more pronounced as every second passed. There was no doubt in my mind that this child needed CASA advocacy, so I raised my hand right there in court and CASA became part of Bill’s life.

The rest of the article can be found here.

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