As the opioid crisis grips the Twin States, parents’ battles with addiction can mean their children are thrust into a court system without an adult voice speaking up for them.
That’s where court-appointed volunteers step in.
“The opioid crisis has caused an explosion in cases and other regions have been hit harder than others,” said Diane Valladares, director of recruitment for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire. “We do have a lot more babies, infants (and) toddlers in the system now than in the past.”
Volunteers visit the children they’re representing and talk to and gather information from people in a child’s life including parents, teachers and doctors.
“Their role is to provide the judge with information about how that child is doing and what that child’s needs are so that the judge can make sound decisions for that child’s life,” Valladares explained. “Because that’s what’s being dealt with in these hearings: They’re deciding whether that child is going to go home to their parents or if there is going to be other options for them.”
The state’s need is strongest in Sullivan, Grafton and Cheshire counties, particularly in Claremont, Lebanon and Keene, Valladares said.
“I feel like we always need more volunteers because there are always circumstances that cause people who are volunteering to withdraw,” Valladares said. “When life happens to people, volunteering is the first thing that falls away.”
Volunteers must be available during the day Monday-Friday to attend court hearings — which they will be notified 30-90 days ahead of time — with children they are assigned to. Volunteers also must be 21 or older and have a high school diploma or GED, reliable transportation, good written and oral communication skills, basic computer skills, and comfort “working with a diverse population,” Valladares said. Court cases can take a long time, and volunteers are asked to commit to three years.
“We look for people who can commit to staying with the case through its life span,” Valladares said. “Cases are busier at the very beginning. Then when you get four, five, months into them they settle into a pattern.”
CASA volunteers must be able to speak up for what they believe is right and hold true, “because sometimes they’re not the most popular kid in the room,” Valladares said. Some court cases involve more than one child, and a single advocate will often be assigned siblings. Those who have the time and inclination can take on more than one case at a time.
“Ultimately our goal is to have enough volunteers so that when a new case comes in we can accept it and when a CASA finishes a case they can take a break before taking the next one,” Valladares said. “A nice, constant rotation of people.”
Some volunteers were in the system themselves as kids and want to help children who are going through the same thing. Others have an interest in the legal system or a career in social work. About 40% of CASA volunteers are retired, 40% work full time, and 20% work part time.
“For people (who are) retired, all the skills that they used through life and in their profession, they will continue to use and sharpen as a CASA volunteer,” Valladares said. “It keeps them sharp. It’s challenging. And they appreciate that challenge.”
Volunteers can request an age group to work with. CASA serves children up to age 18.
About 24% of CASA volunteers in New Hampshire are men, which Valladares said is a higher percentage than most states. This is particularly important because, “in being a role model to boys and young men who have only seen women treated with violence,” she said. “It’s an eye-opener to some of these children, and hopefully it shapes their future relationships with women.”
While CASA volunteers help children through the trauma of being in the court system, there are lighter moments.
“People develop really great relationships with the children that they work with,” Valladares said. “Then there’s always the joy of either being successfully reunified with their parents or being adopted into a loving family that wants them.”
Editor’s note: CASA will hold volunteer information sessions from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday at New London Hospital and 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lake Sunapee Protective Association. RSVPs are encouraged by emailing jlawrence@casanh.org. For more information, call 603-626-4600 or visit casanh.org.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
