HANCOCK COUNTY — Hancock County’s CASA program has achieved significant progress in 2020, since becoming an independent organization for the first time.
The court program, which split off from Central Indiana Court-Appointed Special Advocates at the beginning of the year, has reduced its wait list from 71 children to 34. It also has increased the number of children served from 100 to 143 and has recruited 10 more volunteers, for a total of 41.
A Court-Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, is a volunteer appointed by a judge in cases involving allegations of child abuse or neglect to help determine the best interests of the child. CASAs visit with children, observing their surroundings and emotional state, and make recommendations to the judge.
Marciann McClarnon Miller, president of Hancock County CASA, said the organization has grown this year from a “baby program” to a “toddler program” that’s able to stand on its own.
Miller said forming an independent organization has been beneficial to the volunteers’ efforts: Hancock County CASA has been able to focus on the specific needs of children in the county, as well as to keep the money its nonprofit arm raises in the county.
“We’re very, very fortunate to have a county that really values CASA,” she said.
Judges in the county have always been supportive of the program, Miller said, and when the state government reduced its funding by more than 50% for 2021, motivated by a downturn in tax revenue, the county commissioners voted to make up the gap with local funds.
Since it’s affiliated with the county courts, Hancock County CASA wasn’t able to raise funds on its own or even to accept donations that were offered. To get around that, supporters formed the 501(c)(3) organization Friends of CASA. The president of its board is retired county judge Terry Snow, a longtime supporter of the organization.
Snow was the judge who originally advocated for bringing a CASA program to Hancock County more than a decade ago. When Miller asked him to lead the board, he said, he was happy to help. Now, the fundraising arm is beginning to get off the ground.
“What we’ve been doing is putting it all together so that we’re functioning and we have the ability to support the CASAs in the field,” Snow said.
Raising money, Snow said, will allow the CASAs to afford small touches that help their work become more professional. That’s included providing business cards the volunteers can hand out at their home visits.
“That may sound like a small thing, but trust me, it’s not a small thing,” he said.
The new nonprofit also allowed Friends of CASA to apply for a grant through United Way, which itused to hire a new child contact specialist, Tammy Settergren, who has helped them work through their wait list.
Settergren started out as a volunteer. In her new position, she is currently working with 27 children.
“I felt like I needed to give more back to the community,” Settergren said, and the CASA job gave her an opportunity to do just that.
Snow said being an independent organization is a good thing for Hancock County CASA.
“We can tailor our program to meet the needs of the kids and families,” he said.
Volunteers, like so many others, have faced special challenges during the pandemic. Miller said CASAs have been staying in touch with their charges by making phone calls, using Zoom, making socially-distanced front-porch visits or even writing letters.
“Our CASAs have gotten very creative during COVID,” she said.
Settergren stayed out of children’s residences for much of the pandemic, but has recently begun visiting homes again while staying masked. She said it makes a big difference to be able to speak with children face to face, especially with younger kids.
“You have to be able to be on their level and get down and play a little bit,” Settergren said.
Even though the program has grown, Miller said, many people still do not know what CASA is.
“They think we’re the Mexican restaurant up by the cleaners,’” she said.
Miller hopes to get the word out about the program as much as possible, saying the most effective way of recruiting volunteers is for people who would be a good match for serving as a CASA to hear about it frequently.
She also hopes to be able to help even more children.
“I will not be satisfied until that waiting list is at zero,” Miller said.
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Hancock County CASA is always looking for new volunteers to serve as Court-Appointed Special Advocates for children in need. Volunteers are trained to evaluate and monitor child abuse and neglect cases with the best interest of the child in mind. CASAs must be at least 21 years old and must complete 30 hours of classroom education, courtroom observation, and a full background check.
Interested applicants are asked to contact the CASA office to learn more about volunteering, or to enroll in the next class and set up an interview. For more information or to volunteer, contact Marciann McClarnon Miller at 317-477-0034 or email at [email protected].
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