NORWICH – Even if they only help one child, five special volunteers will have made a world of difference, judicial and social services officials said Tuesday.
Marian Banner, Elaine DeVoust, Patricia Smith and Lauri Arnold of Sidney, and Patricia Hanson of Bainbridge, are now part of the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. The program started last June through Catholic Charities and the Dispute Resolution Centers of Chenango and Otsego counties. Working with families, attorneys, judges, counselors and community members, the advocates’ ultimate goal is to ensure that children from broken homes have every opportunity to live in a positive and permanent setting, hopefully with, but possibly without, their families.
“I have seen children in situations like this,” said Pat Hanson of Bainbridge, a school teacher in Sidney for 37 years who, along with the four others from the Tri-Town area, was sworn in Tuesday as a new CASA for Chenango County. “As a teacher, you can do a lot to change a child’s life. After I retired, I decided it was time to give something more.”
CASAs – there are a total of 11 serving the county – are officers of the court. They are assigned cases involving neglect and abuse, and required to review court records and related information. The volunteers must also interview attorneys, judges, social workers, teachers, family members, parents, and children. Eventually these volunteers will submit a final report and testimony to the court, which will aid a judge in deciding the best outcome for the child, or children, in question.
“I’ve heard stories about kids getting lost in the system,” said Lauri Arnold of Sidney. “I think they need another voice.”
Arnold has always enjoyed volunteering, she said, adding that the thought of helping children who desperately need it is exciting.
“It’s so exciting that you can have such a positive impact on someone else’s life,” said Arnold.
CASAs can help open lines of communication between parents and family members, program coordinator Rita Maxwell said. Chenango County Court Judge Howard Sullivan believes strengthening families is a key function of the CASAs.
“There are situations where you can help families to reunite the child with their parents,” said Sullivan. “Without you that may not happen.
“I can’t tell you how important you are. If you change one or two lives – that has a huge impact.”
The volunteers underwent 35 hours of training, participated in numerous observations, conducted a case study, underwent several interviews, and completed a full court report before becoming official court officers.
As of January, the CASAs have handled nine cases, five in Chenango and four in Otsego County, with roughly 13 neglected children assigned to different advocates so far.
“They’ve all done a phenomenal job,” said Dispute Resolution Director Jennifer Morris, referring to the new group and the six in the original group. “They all bring such wonderful and different backgrounds – not just in their training, but in their life experience.”