Child Court Advocates: Voice of Neglected or Abused Children

As  of November 2022,  there are 36 Bourbon County children who have been abused or neglected and need a volunteer to advocate for them in the court system.

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate.

” Bourbon County CASA has been providing CASA volunteers to the children of Bourbon County for over 32 years,” said Christa Horn, director.  “CASA Volunteers undergo extensive background checks and over 30 hours of training to become certified.  CASA’s are assigned by the court to advocate for and be the voice of children who are involved in the court system due to abuse and neglect, through no fault of their own.”

“Currently 36 children who have been victims of abuse or neglect are assigned CASA Volunteers,” Horn said.  “Over 980 children here in Bourbon County have benefited from having a CASA volunteer by their side, fearlessly advocating for their needs.  Sadly there are at least 36 more children who need a CASA volunteer.”

“Children can be referred by  interested parties, attorneys and DCF/or it’s private contractor and then are assigned by the Court,” she said.

“CASA volunteers meet with their assigned child(ren) on a consistent basis getting to know the child and their circumstances perhaps better than any other professionals involved in the case,” Horn said. “They gather information from all individuals involved in a child’s life, from parents, foster parents, teachers, therapists, doctors, family members, case worker.  CASA then submits written reports to the court at each court hearing detailing events and facts in a child’s life and case and makes recommendations on what is believed to be in the child’s best interest.  CASA volunteers remain assigned to their child until the child is reintegrated back home or reaches permanency through adoption, permanent custodianship.”

The amount of time spent as a CASA volunteer varies.

“Hours vary case by case, but on average a volunteer will spend 6 to 8 hours a month devoted to their assigned case,” she said.

“Currently Bourbon County CASA has 23 certified volunteers,” she said. ” Volunteers are assigned only one child or sibling group at a time, allowing them the time to focus on only one case at a time.”

Contact Bourbon County CASA, PO Box 146, Fort Scott.   Phone:  620-223-2407 or 620-215-2769;  Email:  bbcocasa@cpol.net;  Program Director Christa Horn

Tomorrow is the deadline for an annual fundraiser for CASA.