Navigating the complexities of the court system can be complicated for an adult to manage. Imagine what it would be like to be a child winding your way through the judicial system.

That’s where Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) comes in, a nationwide program assisting abused and neglected children brought before the juvenile court system.

Founded in 1977 by Seattle Judge David W. Soukup, CASA has become one of the most effective programs of its kind. Frustrated with having to make crucial decisions impacting the lives of children without adequate information, Judge Soukup conceptualized a group of trained volunteers performing research for the court, acting as advocates for the children. He then sponsored a pilot program leading to the establishment of the National CASA Association in 1984.

What began as one judge’s mission to bridge information and service gaps has become a network of more than 1,000 local community programs and 70,000 volunteers committed to protecting the rights of every child in the foster care and child welfare system.

Included in this system is CASA of Robertson County, established in 2004.

Leah Powell Blocker, Executive Director of CASA of Robertson County for the past four-and-a-half years, has grown the program from eight volunteers to 33, with a paid staff of two.

“My goal is to serve 100 percent of the abused and neglected kids who come through the juvenile court system,” says Leah. “Last year, we served 81 children, with cases that typically last 15-18 months. We are consistently serving over half of the abused and neglected kids in the system, but until I get to 100 percent, I'm not going to stop.”

To accomplish this goal, CASA will need to expand its staff, as regulations limit the number of advocates staff members are allowed to supervise. As CASA is funded entirely on grants, fundraising, and personal donations, this means the organization relies heavily on the support of the community.

To that end, CASA of Robertson County will be hosting its annual “Boo Bash Dash” on October 28. The 5K and Fun Run/Walk will be held the Robertson County Fairgrounds in Springfield.

“Last year, we had 200 runners from eight different states and eight different counties in Tennessee,” reports Leah. “It’s important for people to know we can't do it without the support of the community, whether through word of mouth or donations or volunteering … whatever it is, we can’t help these children without the support of all of Robertson County.”

Although the duties performed by CASA volunteers vary, volunteers advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court through a structured program of services that includes documenting and providing critical information regarding a child’s circumstances to the court, enabling a judge or commissioner to order specific interventions for each child.

In addition, CASA volunteers monitor case plans and court orders, appear in court, provide testimony when appropriate, recommend services, and, perhaps most critically, explain the process to the child.

In essence, CASA volunteers act as a liaison between the child and the court, ensuring children and their families receive appropriate services. Often, they broach concerns about the physical and mental health of the child to do so.

“When someone has an adverse childhood experience, that frequently dictates the path for their adulthood, but not everyone who has these experiences goes the predictable route because positive childhood experiences balance out the negative,” Leah contends. “Advocates get to be part of that positive childhood experience. We get to be that familiar face that pops up. We get to be the person who shows up in court when it's scary, or the person who shows up at the new foster home and plays a game with the kids.”

She adds, “We had a child who was just adopted after being placed in over 25 homes, and the one person who showed up in all of those places was the CASA advocate.”

Despite the fact that the goal is always the reunification of families after support measures have been implemented, Leah says success is gauged in many ways.

“Success might be reunifying children with parents, or having the grandparents take and raise their grandchildren. It might also be adoption,” she explains. “A [Department of Children’s Services] worker once told me adoption was not successful because it means the system failed the parents. I disagree with that. I think it means we helped the children.”

As for CASA volunteers, Leah shares they come from all walks of life:

“We have someone who works for Sonic, and we have an attorney and a District Attorney. We have a volunteer who is the CEO of a million-dollar business, and we also have retirees. Approximately 75 percent of advocates have full-time jobs and still have time to do this, because once you get through the training it's an average of less than 10 hours a month.”

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a CASA volunteer or donating to the organization itself, please visit https://www.casaofrobco.com

To register for the 2023 Boo Bash Dash:

https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Springfield/BooBashDash2019?fbclid=IwAR0DHn3k4O4zbMayTUagQf_dkErZ_tgxGAeU7eRSR70q5PtjXrLgivQDN0Y

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