CASA Provides a Voice for Foster Children
Heather says that a local judge’s support is critical for the success of CASA programs. “One thing I’ve noticed about CASA programs is if the judge isn’t supportive, then you don’t have a program.” The kids that CASA is assigned to help are in the county’s foster care system. A judge, a caseworker, or even foster parents can request a CASA volunteer be assigned a specific case. “The biggest service we offer is consistency,” Heather says. “It is an ever-changing world for a child once they are removed from their home.”
written by Elyse Apel
Since 2017, the Hillsdale Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program has more than doubled the number of local children it is serving. “In a perfect world, every child in foster care would have a CASA volunteer,” says Heather Upton, executive director of Hillsdale CASA Inc. “We hope that one day we have that.” CASA was first started in the 1970s when a Seattle judge decided to put together a group focused on advocating for the child’s best interest in legal cases. “He started the CASA program by just asking volunteers to see if anyone would be interested in getting to know these kids and advocating for them in court,” Heather explains. CASA is now a national organization with programs in every state. There are 27 programs in cities around Michigan. The Hillsdale CASA program was started in 2014. Michelle A. Bianchi was running for a spot as a judge on the Hillsdale County Probate Court and made it a part of her platform to bring CASA to Hillsdale. “She said that if she won the nomination, she would implement this program and she did. She has been a huge supporter of it,” Heather explains. Judge Bianchi is still involved in family court, so she has a lot of contact with Hillsdale’s CASA and Heather. “Heather is an amazing woman. Her heart and soul are committed to making sure as many children as possible on the abuse and neglect docket are represented in court by the independent voice of a CASA volunteer,” says Judge Bianchi. 6
MICHIGAN PARENT WINTER 2022
When CASA is assigned a case, they stay on it until it closes. Before COVID-19, that process could take over a year. Now, with the backlog of cases, the process sometimes takes upwards of two years. Judge Michelle explains that Heather’s work during the pandemic was crucial to keeping CASA running. “During the pandemic when so many people were crippled in performing their jobs, Heather found a way to continue to recruit, educate, and make sure that the children of Hillsdale County were still connecting with, and were being represented in court by, their court appointed special advocates,” she says. Each CASA volunteer is assigned only one family or sibling group at a time. Once a week, they meet with the child or children they are assigned. “They offer consistency by coming back every week,” Heather says. “If there’s anything that the child wants the judge to know, the CASA volunteer can provide a written court report to the judge speaking on the child’s behalf.” Sharon Turnbull has been a board member of the Hillsdale CASA since 2018 and explains that the work CASA does is critical. “CASA is important to foster children because their voices often go unheard. The CASA volunteers make sure those voices get recognized,” Turnbull says. Heather was hired in 2017 as the volunteer coordinator, and since then she has become the executive director. At the time Heather was first hired, the Hillsdale CASA had nine volunteers serving 18 local children. Since then, it has only grown. Hillsdale CASA now has 25 volunteers serving 42 children. She says the community has been crucial in that growth.