Court advocates play key role in helping children through difficult time
By Randy Arrington
LURAY — As of June 1, there were 47 children in the foster care system in Page County. However, there are only TWO local volunteers available through Court Appointed Special Advocates (or CASA) to help guide these children and their families — both biological and foster care — through the court system.
“We are brand new in Page and Shenandoah counties,” said Cindy Avvenire, an advocate manager with Blue Ridge CASA for Children. “We’re going into our second year — so a lot of people [here] are not aware of it.”
While Blue Ridge CASA for Children marked its 30th anniversary last year after starting off in Augusta County (Staunton and Waynesboro) and later expanding into the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, the organization only took root in Page and Shenandoah counties in late 2023.
“The biggest difference that these volunteers make in a kid’s life is that they become that trusted, dependable adult in their life, and that is something that is often missing,” Avvenire told PVN. “They may be dealing with a lot of adults, but they don’t have that connection with them.”
Each volunteer is only allowed to carry up to two cases appointed by a judge, who determines priority. A case may be a single child or a group of siblings. Currently, three volunteers from Shenandoah County and one from Harrisonburg help out in Page County, but they — along with the two volunteers in Page — only serve eight of the 47 children currently in foster care.
This Thursday, the organization is hosting an event in Luray called “Coffee with Casa” from 9 to 11 a.m. at Broad Porch Coffee near the West Main Street bridge in Luray (20 W. Main St.) to recruit volunteers and share the details of the work they will be doing.
“They will be developing relationships with kids who have experienced trauma and been separated from their homes,” Avvenire said, “and they will be creating court reports using a variety of resources.”
The next round of training for volunteers will begin on the first Saturday in September. That first day on Sept. 6 requires and in-person meeting in Staunton, where CASA gathers volunteers from all three regions. The six-week training then proceeds with virtual meetings each Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. for five additional weeks. Areas of focus for the training include:
- Understanding the foster care system and the children in foster care – what to expect;
- How the court system works in these types of cases;
- After being appointed to a case – what happens next;
- How to write court reports, where to get records, and how to put it together.
Advocate managers like Avvenire are there to help volunteers through the process throughout their time as a volunteer. CASA asks that volunteers commit to at least one year once they complete training.
“Part of the training is to teach people this is real…we don’t want you to be surprised, but you’re always a little surprised,” Avvenire said. “That’s part of our training… We try to get you to look at things a little differently.”
Blue Ridge CASA for Children has a staff of nine employees, which help coordinate volunteers in the three regions they serve. Volunteers will be working with the local school system to get records such as grades and attendance, as well as adding other information to court reports. Everything is done electronically, but CASA staff is available to help with technical issues.
Beyond the reports and the technology, the most important thing, Avvenire says, is building relationships.
“I’ve worked with Social Services for a number of years,” the CASA advocate manager said, “and I’ve never seen the type of relationship we’re building here.
“It’s really exciting to see these relationships being built.”
For more information about Blue Ridge CASA for Children, CLICK HERE.
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