CASA of McHenry County expects to see 40% more children needing court-appointed special advocates

A single word in legislation is set to impact the foster care system across the state and increase the number of abused and neglected children a local organization will serve.

CASA of McHenry County is expecting a nearly 40% rise in cases in which children will need a court-appointed special advocate, Dodge said.

This is due to an amendment to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 that was signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in August and took effect at the start of the year.

Before Jan. 1, it was up to the court’s discretion to appoint an advocate to a case, but now the law lays out when an advocate has to be appointed.

Sharie Dodge, advocate engagement manager at CASA of McHenry County, said the program expects to soon have more cases than volunteers.

“We would rather have CASAs waiting for a case than a child waiting for a CASA,” Dodge said.

The Crystal Lake-based chapter that serves infants through teens currently has a pool of 109 active CASAs.

Last year the advocates worked with 180 kids in the foster care system. Officials expect that number to increase to 250 children this year.

To meet that caseload, CASA of McHenry County is in need of 60 to 80 more volunteers, Dodge said.

According to Illinois CASA, which oversees 31 CASA offices in 53 counties, including the McHenry County chapter, the earlier an advocate begins to work with a child, the more beneficial they become to the case.

“It’s sort of like starting a book in the middle,” said Mari Christopherson, chief executive officer of Illinois CASA. “You really need more information to get the full scope.”

Illinois CASA worked toward the statute change starting in 2019.

A child with an advocate spends less time in the foster care system and is more likely to graduate from high school, according to the CASA of McHenry County website. Kids are also less likely to become a teen parent and spend time in jail if they have an advocate.

Already experiencing fear and trauma from whatever situation caused them to be placed in foster care, once they’re there, children’s days are suddenly filled with visits from case workers, lawyers and other officials, who for the most part, work with the parents.

The system is parent-focused as it is the adults the court is expecting to make changes needed to get their child back home with them, said Becky Morris, executive director at CASA of McHenry County.

“The biggest thing that a CASA offers is consistency,” Morris said. “When you’re removed from your home, life becomes very chaotic.”

There’s always a goal in an open case, be it that a child is returned home after a certain length of time or that the child is placed in a different, more stable setting.

“As an advocate, I’m the one constant in the child’s life during this challenging time,” CASA volunteer Brian Mahoney said.

The Spring Grove father of a 1-year-old said his work involves building a trusting relationship with the kids to get a sense of how they’re doing and what their needs are.

CASAs report their findings to the judge, giving the court a better sense of the child’s best interest.

While case workers and other officials may come and go throughout the time a case is open, the CASA is the one person the judge relies on to carry the child’s history, Dodge said.

Some cases last less than a year and others more, Mahoney said.

His best days are when the outcome in a case is that the child has found permanency, he said.

CASA of McHenry County hosts quarterly training for new advocates. Prospective volunteers can attend the following sessions to receive information:

• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 via Zoom. Email sharie@casamchenrycounty.org to register.
• 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Cary Area Public Library; 1606 Three Oaks Road, Cary. Registration is required. Call the library at 847-639-4210 or go to its registration form at bit.ly/3FMEias.
• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. March 8 at the Woodstock Public Library; 414 W. Judd St., Woodstock. RSVPs to sharie@casamchenrycounty.org are appreciated but not required.