Any CASA (court appointed advocate) volunteers?

[MommyofAmaya]

Because of my background (former attorney (many asylum cases) and former CPS caseworker, sexual abuse unit), I was assigned a very extreme case which honestly scares the pants off me. This child desperately needs any support he/she can get and I feel obligated to help him/her. The situation is so dire and the all parties involved are so troubled that I am having second thoughts about getting involved. I am momentarily fearing for myself/my family. How do I get past this? Any BTDT?

[ha98ed14]

No BTDT, but I'm supporting a close adult family member as she goes through the process of prosecuting a juvenile offender for home invasion, assault with a weapon and rape. You would not believe the crazies who have come out in support of this underage offender. Oh, and BTW, he admitted his crime. There's no doubt of his guilt and there was no bail given. Still, we moved my relative to a different city because we were afraid of his relatives. They see my relative as evil and cruel because she is assisting the prosecution. They think he should get off because he is under 18.

If you think there is any chance they will come after you, don't do it. You need to guard your own babies first. JMO after seeing how crazy criminals and their family members can be. If they are capable of the kind of neglect/ abuse your post implies, I would not doubt their ability to hurt you and yours too.

[lalasmama]

:grouphug: What a scary position to be put in to! I'm not a CASA (though I have worked closely with 2 of them since DD came to me as a foster child)...

I'm at a complete loss for you. As the pp said, you protect your babies first, and other babies second. If it's bad enough to have you scared of them, I would consider asking that the case be moved to someone else's load, and I would say exactly why you are requesting it.

[infomama]

If you feel like your family could be targeted/in danger based on your involvement in this case there is nothing to 'get past'. Trust your gut and if you have some real evidence to base your fears on, articulate those to your boss and walk away from this one.

[dcmom2b3]

Agree with others -- safety of your family comes first. But . . . have you investigated what safety precautions your agency may have for its volunteers? Sadly, you can't be the first person to be assigned to a case this extreme. I'd tap into their wisdom before making a final decision.

Also, may not be relevant, but I know that our office and our local prosecutors' office has a preventative safety protocol, basically how to manage your public presence so that the crazies can't find you. Does your CASA office have something similar?

All this aside, if your gut still says no, then say "No." :hug5:

[ThreeofUs]

Certainly children in this situation need advocates. Honestly, though, if you're feeling threatened in any way, you need to listen to your gut and start talking to people and CASA supervisors about it.

There are reasons for CASA, but there are also safeguards that go up in such a situation. Talk to people concerned about it. Sooner that later, kwim? The child may be in danger, too.

[waitingforgrace]

Yes, protect yourself first. However, does the child have a court appointed attorney? In the cases I have been involved with that get messy and complicated generally the CASA will ask the court to appoint an attorney for the child. Honestly at that point, it becomes the attorney for the child that "takes all the risk" so to speak and is doing things that relatives may not like. The CASA still stays on the case, but with the attorney appointed, the attorney becomes the more aggressive advocate. I may not be explaining that well, but it is definitely something to consider.

[bubbaray]

I deal with threats in my job. Sometimes they are general (agency-wide), a few times they are aimed at me. I've also dealt with it in other jobs, not just my current one.

What reassured me the most was when my agency contact my local police, explained the situation and had them put a "special attention" code on my address/phone number. If there is a 911 call and hangup from our house, they come lights and sirens, regardless of what the caller from my house says or does. I have also let our neighbors know when there were direct threats against me, so if there is any suspicious activity that they see, they call 911 and report it.

:grouphug:

[bubbaray]

Yes, protect yourself first. However, does the child have a court appointed attorney? In the cases I have been involved with that get messy and complicated generally the CASA will ask the court to appoint an attorney for the child. Honestly at that point, it becomes the attorney for the child that "takes all the risk" so to speak and is doing things that relatives may not like. The CASA still stays on the case, but with the attorney appointed, the attorney becomes the more aggressive advocate. I may not be explaining that well, but it is definitely something to consider.


Yes, this is how it works here too.

[Gracemom]

I was a social worker before I had kids, and I had to deal with threats. I was young though and didn't really take them seriously (thank God nothing ever happened to me). But now that I have kids, I'm thinking twice about going back into that line of work. I've thought about being a CASA volunteer. I worked with them before, and I know some families don't take kindly to strangers poking their nose in their business (how they see it). Have you talked with your CASA worker about it? Do they have any systems in place to protect you, such as going on visits with your worker (never alone)? Have you had safety training (such as sitting by the door so you have a way out)? Do you have to give identifying info. to family members? Have you changed your phone # and address to being unlisted? I think it's great that you see that this child needs help and are willing to work through your fears to provide that help!

[MommyofAmaya]

Yes, protect yourself first. However, does the child have a court appointed attorney? In the cases I have been involved with that get messy and complicated generally the CASA will ask the court to appoint an attorney for the child. Honestly at that point, it becomes the attorney for the child that "takes all the risk" so to speak and is doing things that relatives may not like. The CASA still stays on the case, but with the attorney appointed, the attorney becomes the more aggressive advocate. I may not be explaining that well, but it is definitely something to consider.

This does make me feel better about the situation because there is already an attorney ad litem appointed. I also learned this morning that all of the more intimidating parties are otherwise occupied (MIA or incarcerated) so that they either can't or won't be involved on the level I was anticipating.

Safety concerns were not really adressed during training and I will see if they provide any other guidance on the issue. I probably need to take some privacy precautions as I have a unique first and last name.

Thanks for the advice thus far. I am feeling more committed to the idea this morning after meeting my assignment. I plan on sticking with it unless things take a turn for the worse early on.

[lovin2shop]

I just want to commend you for volunteering for such a great organization. I was a volunteer for awhile, but had to give it up once I had kids. For me, it seemed to require a fair amount of time during work hours, and I just don't have that to spare anymore. But, I do hope to go back to it once my kids are older. Be careful, I did find myself in some unsettling situations, and learned to spend my time on the placement solution and limited my time with anyone that gave me concern.