CASA involved in cases of abuse, neglect & more
By Bob Robinson 

GREENVILLE – “Typical? There is no typical,” CASA Director Kay Robbins said. CASA stands for Court Appointed Children’s Advocates. “We have children born with drugs in their system, children who were in a home when a drug bust occurs, children with broken bones, shaken babies…” 

CASA volunteers see the same things Montgomery and Franklin counties see, just not as many. 

“There has to be (Darke County) Children’s Services involvement,” Robbins said, noting most often the child has been abused, neglected or is a dependent (sibling of the abused child). “The case is filed in court, Children’s Services investigates and files charges. At that point they can ask for CASA to be assigned. When that happens, I get the case and assign a volunteer.” 

CASA currently has 45 kids assigned to it. There are 12 volunteers, nine of whom are active. A volunteer could have several children in one family or several families with one or two children. It depends on the case. 

A child is often removed from the home and placed in foster care or with a relative, but not necessarily… 

Robbins said the volunteer is assigned what is called “protective supervision.” She gave as a possible example a child born with drugs in its system. The mother is ordered to do certain services such as drug and alcohol recovery and parenting classes… and she is staying clean, Children’s Services may decide not to remove the child. They’ll leave the baby with the mother with an ongoing caseworker and the assigned CASA volunteer. 

“The volunteer will visit the home at least once a month – sometimes announced, sometimes unannounced – depending on the case. If we think we need to just drop in, we do.” The goal of the volunteer is to make sure the baby is healthy, going to the doctor and so on. 

A volunteer attends all hearings and meetings that involve the children. At every hearing the volunteer has to write a report and a recommendation to the judge… what they think should happen. 

Sometimes Children’s Services becomes involved when the child has one or both parents going to Common Pleas Court in a case involving a felony. In many of those cases Children’s Services and the Darke County Juvenile Court, under Judge Jason Aslinger, will get the child out of the environment right away. 

Robbins recalled an example where a case went two years before being resolved. The child was removed, biological parent found and eventually given custody. The abuser hadn’t yet been tried but the case involving the child was resolved. 

Most parents are cooperative when a CASA volunteer has been appointed by the court. 

“It’s one more person intruding in their lives,” Robbins said. Only once, however, was she ordered out of a house. “I got out.” She added it was toward the end of the case and admitted it was probably something she said. The incident went no further as the final hearing was scheduled in a matter of days and there was no need for her to return. 

Robbins said she was going to do a training session this fall and asked anyone interested to call her at 547-9091. She noted, however, this job is not easy. 

“It’s a tough job. It isn’t for everyone.” 

She said it was the volunteers who are important. They have to have 30 hours of training plus 12 additional training hours every year. Time involved depends on the case load and the complexity of the assignment although volunteers are typically expected to help 15 hours a month. 

Robbins was one of the first five volunteers to be trained when CASA was started in 1994 by Fran Guilla under Judge Richard Hole. She took over as director in 2000. Darke County provides the funding for the office, phone and director’s salary. Extra volunteer training and $20 birthday gift certificates provided on the birthdays of CASA children come from donations. 

The 7-member CASA board, a 501c3 non-profit, sends out a fundraising letter every two years. The latest one had just been sent. 

Published courtesy of The Early Bird