Could you be the voice for a child in need? Scores of Coachella Valley foster kids are without advocates
Desert Art Center in Palm Springs has been expanding its outreach to youth, adding free classes for middle-schoolers whose schools may not have an art program. Wochit
Before she dives into the fun chaos of craft time or a trip to the park, or even a visit to juvenile court, Melanie Royer, a volunteer court-appointed special advocate for foster kids, takes a moment to reflect with her assigned child.
The Palm Desert woman asks the young girl, “Do you understand what my role as your advocate is?”
“You stay with me,” the child says.
The Voices for Children volunteer advocates, known as CASAs (court-appointed special advocates) are matched to a child in foster care. For many foster kids, this volunteer is one of the only consistent, reliable adults in their lives.
The CASA's role essentially is to pick up the missing pieces. While social workers draw the black-and-white outline that foster kids need to survive, CASAs fill it in with color, which is to say they inform juvenile judges how the children can thrive.
CASAs spend quality time with their assigned child a couple times a month to build a consistent relationship. The activities are based on the children’s interests from just getting ice cream to visiting a museum to playing catch.
In addition to nurturing a bond, CASAs are responsible for reporting on the child’s needs to the judge. They advocate for the child’s best interests related to their education, health, living arrangements and general well-being. They do this by keeping track of the child’s academics, meeting with teachers and talking with the social worker, among others.
“I have contact with as many people in her life as I can,” Royer said. “For me, an important part of that is school because that is someplace advocates can really make an impact. We don’t have a say in where the children are moved, but we can be involved in school. You can check in on attendance, make sure she’s getting assignments in, make recommendations for tutoring or push for testing if you see something has been overlooked.”
But most importantly, the advocates ask the child what they need.
Sometimes that need is as simple as soccer cleats because the child has always wanted to play soccer. Other times they might need a tutor for extra math help. Whatever the extra thing is, the CASA conveys this to the judge and the judge will order it to happen if he or she agrees.
“Mainly I listen to the child,” Royer said. “I speak for them in court. So, she and I may have a difference of opinion, but I let the judge know that. I might say, I think the child could benefit from this even though she doesn’t want to do it. I see her needs from an adult perspective and I convey that, but I also make sure her opinions are heard, too.”
In Riverside County, there are close to 4,800 children in foster care but only 280 CASA volunteers. Not every foster child gets matched to a CASA; there are about 135 children in the county waiting to be matched — some might never make it off the list. Voices for Children, a nonprofit, is responsible for making the matches. The 135 kids waiting to be matched were recommended to Voices for Children typically by a teacher or social worker who saw a need gap in the child’s life.
Volunteers are asked to make an 18-month commitment and to spend one-on-one time with their child at least once a month. Most volunteers see their match two to three times a month. The 18-month commitment is meant to create consistency in the child’s life, as their foster placement and case worker might change several times in the same time-frame, said Jessica Munoz, Voices for Children director.
Most of the children in foster care have experienced abuse and neglect like domestic violence or substance abuse in their home. In general, many have come from very difficult circumstances, Munoz said.
“A lot of kids have not had consistency,” Munoz said. “Nor have they had a chance to be exposed to things that they might enjoy or be good at and that can bring them happiness. Maybe a child discovers they want an outlet for creativity. That may not have been something she knew before.”
Royer said one of the children that she advocated for fell in love with making blankets after a trip to the craft store. It was an experience she never realized she wanted so much.
“During another time, I took the 17-year-old I was matched with to a CASA holiday party,” Royer said. “I wasn’t expecting her to enjoy it because it was catered to younger kids. But she was right there with the younger ones. She never had those experiences before like eating pizza and getting her photo with reindeer antlers. Those things that seem so common, but they never got to be little kids. And the older children can seem rough or edgy or sophisticated, but really they’re just little kids inside that never had those simple experiences like that.”
Royer said when she was matched with her first foster child, she was overwhelmed with the emotions surrounding the child’s case. She was convinced her child had the hardest life and came from the worst background.
“It was very dramatic, what this child was going through, from my viewpoint,” she said. “But then you go to meetings (with other CASAs) and you find out every case is like that and that there’s such a need in the county. I just can’t get over it. There’s such a need for volunteers.”
Volunteers aren’t forging alone, though. They go through training, a background check and are matched with a staff supervisor from Voices for Children who will assist throughout the process. Potential volunteers, who must be at least 21 years old, interview for the position and then participate in 35 hours of training. Throughout the 18-month placement, volunteers will have multiple opportunities to continue learning and developing as a volunteer. They will also be required to write a court report every six months and appear in front of a judge to answer questions about the child’s well-being and needs.
While the organization welcomes all volunteers, Munoz said they are in special need of men because it's important for young men to have a strong role model in their life they can relate to.
For more information on how to volunteer go to . For those who want to help, but not volunteer, the organization takes monetary donations, too. It costs $2,000 to support one child for one year.