Grant Beefs Up Guardian Ad Litem Program Volunteers Are Advocates For Abused Children In Court Proceedings

Standing up for the rights of abused children soon will be easier in Spokane County.

The state Legislature has earmarked $600,000 to beef up juvenile court advocate programs in Spokane, King and Clark counties.

The money pays for legal services, and recruiting and training of volunteer advocates for abused children, said officials for the Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem program.

The 12-month grant gives the three counties a chance to show how crucial CASA/GAL volunteers are in the court system, the first step in getting programs permanently funded by the state.

“The value of this program is enormous,” said Mary Louise Alving, executive director of Washington State CASA, based in Seattle. “A CASA volunteer is appointed by a judge to be the voice of a child. Their job is huge.”

The state requires that children coming through the juvenile court system be appointed an advocate. Little money is set aside for that, so Washington counties rely on CASA/GAL volunteers.

In Spokane County, 178 volunteers serve 360 children who are currently in the juvenile court system. About 200 more volunteers are needed to represent the 400 remaining children in the system who don’t have an advocate, said Barb Lakewold, local program manager.

Spokane, King and Clark counties competed against other Washington counties for the money. They are the only counties to receive the grant. Spokane received $202,000, in part, because of the need for CASA volunteers here, Alving said.

“This provides us an opportunity, with more support for our volunteers, to be able to move the cases through the system more rapidly,” Lakewold said. “With that we have children in permanent, safe homes quickly. The longer they are in the system, the more they are damaged.”

Volunteers work independently of attorneys in cases involving abused or neglected children, providing a view of the situation through the child’s eyes.

For information about CASA and how to be a volunteer, call 458-2468 or 458-2469.

, DataTimes