December 14, 2007
Copyright 2007 - The Post-Journal, Jamestown NY
12/14/2007 - There are so many wonderful children’s books available these days — isn’t it fun to browse in the young people’s section of a bookstore or library? There are books about nature, families, grieving, weather and you name it.
But here’s a new one: ‘‘Just for Now: Kids and the People of the Court.’’ It’s especially written, by Kimberly Morris and members of the Houston chapter of Court Appointed Special Advocates, to help children in foster care understand the legal processes in which they are involved.
When children enter foster care, Morris said, “Life changes in an instant. Someone comes in, packs up their stuff and they are taken on this bewildering journey, and they really don’t know whose job is what.’’
A Houston CASA volunteer and a friend met weekly for about three years to draw up plans for a book that would clarify this for foster care children. Morris, children’s writer, put it all together.
‘‘Just for Now’’ follows two neglected children — they’d been alone in the house for days — from the day the police and a Child Protective Services worker come and take them away. The CPS worker tells them they will be in temporary foster care and explains that temporary means ìjust for now.î
Rachel and Gilbert meet the other children in their foster home. One is there ‘‘because her parent hit her’’ and another because his parents are in jail. A pair of twins don’t know why they are there.
Rachel is frightened when she learns that a judge would decide when they could see their mother, because on TV judges send people to jail. She is assured this would be a family court judge, who would decide what was best for everyone. (A glossary in the back of the book defines many terms and processes the children might encounter.)
In addition to their Child Protective Services worker, the children meet their attorney ad litem — law guardian — who is assigned to protect their interests. Rachel and Gilbert are confused by the technical terms and want to see their mother and go home. They don’t believe anyone is listening to them.
Then they meet Mrs. Hart, the Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer assigned to their case. She explains that their CPS worker has lots of other cases, and that’s why she always has to hurry. I have only two children to protect. Their names are Rachel and Gilbert,’’ Mrs. Hart tells them.
Gilbert finds a stray dog, and this becomes a sort of parallel story about neglect. The children realize that though they love the dog, they can’t take care of it properly.
The book goes on to describe the children’s supervised visits with their mother, and their visit to the court to see what it looks like. Mrs. Hart is learning as much about them as she can, and she helps their mother get into a hospital. When the children see their mother again, she says she has recovered and is ìtaking classes to learn how to be a better mom.’’
Though she doesn’t know yet when the family can be reunited, their mother says, “I do know this — you are safe. You’re healthy. And you have a Court Appointed Special Advocate with a big heart.’’
The most touching part of the book is the final page — printed THE END. But this is crossed out, and ìthe beginning’’ is written in its place.
When Family Court Judge Judith Claire saw this book, she knew volunteers in Chautauqua County needed it. ìI want to have one for every foster child,’’ she said. Jean Ingerson, CASA executive director, commented that it was a no-brainer. “We have to go forward and get it,’’ she said.
With the generous help of Lake Shore Savings, Fessenden, Laumer and DeAngelo, Brautigam and Brautigam, Erickson, Webb, Scolton and Hajdu, local attorneys, the Chautauqua Community Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Jamestown, WCA Care and Share Fund, Brenda Johnson, Michelle Ballachino and Bob and Carol Reeder as well as others, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Chautauqua County have acquired 200 copies of the book. They are in the process of distributing them to every foster child in the county.
It took one judge watching children get lost in the labyrinth of the social justice system to springboard a national effort to help them. Court Appointed Special Advocates was launched in 1977, and currently there are about 55,000 court-appointed volunteers in the United States who are assigned to guide, assist and be a voice for 225,000 children in foster care.
Here in Chautauqua County, in just the four years since its inception, CASA has trained 54 volunteers, and currently there are 30 of them working with 46 foster children.
CASA’s major expenditure is for staff to train and supervise these volunteers. Currently there are people from the education and nursing professions, as well as other walks of life, who are willing to become CASA volunteers and a training class is in development.
For further information about the Court Appointed Special Advocates program in Chautauqua County, call 753-4123 or casaofchautauqua @roadrunner.com.
CASA of Chautauqua County, Inc. is partially funded by the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, the Unified Court System of the State of New York, Interest on Lawyers Account, private and public grants and private donations. |