|
Date: SUN 07/03/05 Section: B Page: 2 Edition: 4 STAR COMMUNITIES & NEIGHBORHOODS / Advocate'sbest reward: a happy ending / Volunteer workswith abused children and helps families breakcycle of violence By EDWARD HEGSTROM Staff Some people volunteer to clean up parks or raise funds for their church. Susan Bishop-Brown volunteers as an advocate for abused children. "I have friends who tell me they admire what I do, but they say they could never do it," said Bishop-Brown, a volunteer with Child Advocates . "It's not for everyone." Child Advocates started in 1984, with three volunteers who helped 18 abused children that year. This year, the organization hopes to help 1,600 kids. The idea started with a judge in Seattle who realized in the 1970s that there was not enough support for children who had been abused as they went through the court system. State caseworkers were too swamped to give individual attention to the children. So the judge decided to appoint volunteers who would work with the children and guide them through the legal system, a position known as court-appointed special advocate, or CASA. The CASA system spread nationwide, and Child Advocates provides the service in the Houston area. The volunteers give the children individual attention that the state can't provide. State Child Protective Services workers typically have 50 or 60 cases at a time. By contrast, Child Advocates ' volunteers have only one, according to Dena Miller, with the organization. Studies have shown that children who have a court-appointed advocate typically get more of the services available to them because the volunteer helps guide them. "It's an overburdened system, and sometimes the court-appointed advocate is the only thing that keeps these kids from falling through the proverbial cracks," said Miller. Volunteers typically meet with the children at a foster home. They explain the legal process, attend court hearings, contact caseworkers, interview parents and stop by for important events such as birthdays and other celebrations. Miller notes that the work is not for everyone. People have to be patient, and above all, they cannot be too judgmental. The volunteers frequently talk with the parents, some of whom are the accused child abusers. In many cases, the child goes back to the parents, so the volunteer must accept that. "You have to believe that it's possible for these parents to get it together," said Miller. Bishop-Brown said the job does give her a glimpse of the dark side of humanity. "You're exposed to things you can't imagine," she said. "It kind of blows my mind that anyone could actually abuse a child ." But she realizes she may help a family break the cycle of child abuse, and that makes it worthwhile. Both of the cases she followed through to completion ended well, she said. "To me, it's the best feeling there is when there's a happy ending," she said. A longtime Houstonian and legal secretary, Bishop-Brown, 47, began looking for volunteering opportunities a couple years ago along with her husband. Her husband also volunteers at Child Advocates , but he does not work directly with the children because he realized that he would have difficulty having contact with parents who are abusers. "He didn't think he could deal with it," she explained. "He didn't think he could look past what had been done."
WANT TO HELP? Child Advocates , which hopes to serve 1,600 children this year, needs more volunteers, especially people who speak Spanish. The requirements include: • Introduction: One-hour orientation • Skills : Two-week training course known as Advocacy University • More information: Call 713-529-1396, ext. 0 or e-mail recruitment@childadvocates.org
|