Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) have a mission to provide quality court-appointed volunteer advocacy to children in the foster care system. Program Director Susan Phelps said she is looking for more area residents to take a stand for the most vulnerable in the court system.
“We serve Arkansas, Monroe, Woodruff, and Lonoke Counties,” Phelps said. “We represent the best interests of children.”
Grand Prairie CASA operates under a powerful yet simple idea: every child deserves a voice, especially in the courtroom. Appointed by judges, CASA volunteers step in from the very beginning of a foster care case.
“We write a court report for our judges to read — we send that to them (the judges) so they know what is going on in the case,” Phelps said. “Normally, our judges will appoint us at the probable cause hearing, which is the very first hearing when the family comes to court. We step in from the beginning, and we are there with the children all along the way.”
Volunteers can make an immense difference. While social workers and others may rotate over time, CASA strives to ensure that each child has an advocate who remains by their side.
“We know many times the case workers change throughout the course or the life of the case, and we hope the CASA volunteer can be the one who sticks with the kids for the duration of the case,” Phelps said.
Phelps said advocates walk with children through difficult situations that often lead to success stories.
“We have stories where the kids are reunited with their families, which is what we want for all of our children. We have success opportunities where our children do not necessarily go home to their families but are able to thrive in their environment, exceed, and become very productive members of society,” Phelps said.
To continue this work, Grand Prairie CASA needs more volunteers.
“We are always looking for people to volunteer, to work with our children, and to be advocates for them,” Phelps said.
CASA volunteers collect documents and records about the child they are advocating for. They engage with the child and interact with people in the child’s life. They help children in foster care without becoming foster parents.
“You are not fostering, but you will support the kids who are in foster care and your local DHS offices and be an advocate for kids in need,” Phelps said.
Volunteers participate in 30 hours of training before they can take a case. Those interested in volunteering can visit the Grand Prairie CASA website and click the “Volunteer” button in the upper-right corner to fill out an application. CASA staff members will then guide applicants through the next steps.
For more information, call the Grand Prairie CASA office at (501) 676-6533 or email casa@grandprairiecasa.org.
