What happens to children who fall through the cracks in the system?

What does a Court Appointed Advocate do?

What type of person makes a good Child Advocates volunteer?

How much time does it take to be a Child Advocates’ volunteer?

How many volunteers are working with Child Advocates?

How does Child Advocates raise funds?

What is Child Advocates, Inc.?
Child Advocates, Inc. (CAI) is a private nonprofit organization in Houston that mobilizes Court Appointed Advocate volunteers to break the cycle of child abuse. We speak up for abused children who are lost in the system and guide them into safe environments where they can thrive.

Volunteers serve children involved in the juvenile court system once appointed to a child’s case by a juvenile court judge. This means that our volunteers have the legal status of "guardians ad litem", giving them the power to affect real change in the life of a child.

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What happens to children who fall through the cracks in
the system?
So often we end up seeing them on the five o’clock news, once they’ve been abused to death or acted out their pain on society by committing a crime. It is estimated that 85% of inmates were abused or neglected as children, making it difficult to ignore the strong correlation between untreated child abuse and dysfunctional adult behavior. These are the children who often do not know what it is like to be in a healthy and loving family. They don’t receive help to deal with the trauma they have suffered and they don’t learn how to trust, cope and grow beyond the circumstances of their childhood, often perpetuating the cycle of abuse. Child Advocates is an effective solution to the epidemic of child abuse because one volunteer is focused on the well being of one child.

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What does a Court Appointed Advocate do?
Once appointed by a juvenile court judge, our Court Appointed Advocate volunteers begin a process of information gathering with the goal of guiding abused children out of the foster care system, identifying the child’s needs and ensuring rehabilitative services. They act as a communications link between the child and the juvenile courts. Volunteers gather all the pertinent information about their child’s case and make recommendations to the judge based on that information.

Volunteers provide a continuum of services customized to meet each child’s needs. They locate vital therapeutic and rehabilitative services for 100 percent of the children we serve to help children deal with the trauma of abuse. Services range from psychological treatment, to educational assistance, parent/family education, to the quality of life experiences like birthday parties, tickets to sporting events, and summer camp. In addition, our volunteers provide special needs items such as eyeglasses, clothing, beds, tutoring, school supplies, backpacks and other basic needs.

Volunteers work in tandem with a staff Advocacy Coordinator who guides their casework and supports the efforts of the volunteer. Our staff members have expertise in working on behalf of abused children and are there to coach the volunteer through casework, court, working with the child and families and all other aspects of their volunteer role. The volunteer/staff member team approaches the child’s case jointly, ensuring the best services are delivered to the child.

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What type of person makes a good Child Advocates volunteer?
Volunteers come from all careers, cultures, educational backgrounds, ages, and experiences - that’s what makes this program work. The primary requirements for being a court appointed advocate volunteer with Child Advocates are that you have a genuine interest in the well being of children, are a proactive communicator and complete our Advocacy University training course. Court appointed advocate volunteers are objective, responsible, committed, persistent and understand the important role they have in a child’s life. Both men and women are needed as volunteers and you need to be at least 21 years of age.

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How much time does it take to be a Child Advocates’ volunteer?
In the same amount of time you spend each week doing something ordinary, like attending a movie, you can do something extraordinary—change the life of an abused child. Volunteers average 2-5 hours of casework per week (8 hours per month). More than 85% of our volunteers work full-time.

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How many volunteers are working with Child Advocates?
Last year, over 534 active court appointed volunteers who donated more than 47,000 hours to 1,705 severely abused children in Houston. Unfortunately, the number of abused children in need far outweighs our number of volunteers. We are only able to serve a third of the abused children who need us.

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How does Child Advocates raise funds?
As a private, nonprofit organization, we raise all of our own funds through foundations, special events, individual giving, places of worship, associations, corporations and planned giving.

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