Child advocates needed for Eunice City Court cases

Court Appointed Special Advocates of St. Landry will host its next training class beginning Jan. 12, and the organization is looking to add volunteers from Eunice to its ranks.
“We want to have more representation in Eunice,” said Madelyn Rosette, executive director of CASA of St. Landry. “We do have cases in Eunice City Court, and we are also looking for people to step up and serve on our boards and committees.”
“We would like more from the community.”
CASA works to provide abused or neglected children, who are in the foster care system, with representation during juvenile and child protection proceedings, and the majority of the parishes in the state have some form of CASA presence. CASA’s St. Landry Parish office, once part of CASA of Acadiana, has been in existence since 2008, and there are 18 offices throughout the state.
In 2012, CASA in Louisiana served 3,480 children and had 1,789 volunteers. According to information from CASA, children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care. These children are also less likely to reenter the foster care system, and the number of those who return to foster care is reduced by half. Advocates are very effective in getting their proposals consented to in court, and in four out of five cases, all or almost all suggestions by the CASA volunteer are permitted.
Rosette, a former advocate, has been executive director of the Opelousas office since 2012, and the number of volunteers continues to increase.
“We have 25 active volunteers, and we try to have two children to an advocate,” Rosette said. “There are 70 kids in foster care in St. Landry Parish right now, and we are servicing 50 of those children.
“We would like to have 70 volunteers or a volunteer for every child. We would like to individualize the attention.”
According to Rosette, the majority of children in the foster care system in St. Landry Parish are children who have been neglected and removed from their homes, and drug abuse by others in the home often played a part in their removal.
“There are kids that are not getting fed or are going to school in dirty clothes,” Rosette said. “We have very few cases of abuse in St. Landry Parish.”
“The number of children in foster care in the parish fluctuates, and right now, things are slow. We have a smaller number of cases compared to other offices, but some offices have multiple parishes. We would like to eventually wean ourselves out of a job, but we don’t want to kids who are being neglected or abused.”
Rosette previously worked at a home for at-risk boys, and it was then that she decided her career path.
“People would ask me ‘You’re working with troubled kids?’’ she said. “I didn’t see them that way. They are just astray. I also worked for a juvenile day program, and I knew I wanted to keep working with kids, especially those who are less fortunate. I want them to know there is a way out, a brighter side, that their situation will not determine their destination. I want to inspire and uplift.”
CASA of St. Landry hosts four advocate trainings a year, and the volunteer positions are open to anyone 21 or older. Individuals must fill out an application, interview with the program staff, pass background clearances, attend the 32 hour training course and commit to serving at least one year. Volunteers must also attend 12 hours of in-service training per year. The class days for the upcoming training session are Jan. 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28 and Feb. 2, 4, 9 and 11. Classes are from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at CASA St. Landry office at 421 N Main St. in Opelousas.
“We would like to see the community step up,” Rosette said. “This is a great program. There are kids who need support on their behalf. These volunteers do not get paid and they show up and give back to the community.”
One advocate who did step up is Betty Chavis, current CASA of St. Landry community liaison and former volunteer.
“I was impressed with the program when I was a volunteer,” Chevis said. “When I started, I was the only volunteer, so I did one on one training, which was great.”
“I was assigned to a young girl in Ville Platte and I worked with her and her son. I bonded with this young lady, her son and her foster mom from day one, and I visited them often.”
Like Rosette, Chevis hopes to show the abused and neglected children of St. Landry Parish the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I want to help these kids, show them that this (current situation) is not all there is to life,” she said.
For more information or to become a volunteer, visit www.casastlandry.com or call 948-3550.