School: University of Georgia School of Social Work

When I began to think about what I would write in this final summary of my experience in the ESCAP program, I got a little nervous. It was the same nervousness I experienced when we began training. I am not pursuing a law degree. My degree is in social work. I have not done legal writing or research this summer because I do not have the training or experience to do that kind of work. I began to worry that my experience would pale in comparison to other participants in the program.

Then, I started to remember what I noticed in training. Due to the fact that the program gives preference to law students and focuses on the legal side of child advocacy, most of the presentations during training were geared toward that perspective. I remember beginning to have thoughts during presentations about other considerations that should be made during legal proceedings. The legal perspective could not be the only consideration that people take when involved in child advocacy. During training, I realized these thoughts were based on my social work education and my background as a teacher in different school systems. We take an ecological perspective and, so, I initially found the legal perspective very limiting.

However, over the summer, I learned that it takes a village to advocate for a child. No one person or agency can do it alone. The legal perspective is not limiting - it's just a different perspective. Children need people with many different perspectives to advocate for them. Children need the Division of Children and Family Services (DFCS) to come in when they are not being provided with their basic needs. Children need lawyers to advocate on their behalf in court. Children need lawyers to advocate for their parents' rights. Children need judges to make rulings in their best interest. Children need citizen review panels to make sure parents and agencies are doing what they are supposed to do. Children need case workers to provide their parents with opportunities and to make sure they are being treated well. Children need all of these things and more.

One program whose sole mission is to look out for the best interests of the child is the Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA. This summer I had the pleasure of working with the Cobb County CASA program at the Cobb County Juvenile Court. The staff and volunteers are extremely dedicated. Although CASAs are not paid, they take their work very seriously and provide a very valuable service to each and every case they work on.

CASAs are trained volunteers that are appointed to advocate for children in cases that involve abuse and/or neglect. Before this internship started, I had never heard of CASA. Now I know they are one of the most important volunteer organizations in the state. CASAs realize that it does take a village to support a child, and they make sure they keep up with every member of that village. My experience in Cobb County Juvenile Court made it clear that CASAs are respected by the court for their perspective. Judges and lawyers alike rely on the CASAs' reports to keep them updated on different cases, let them know about concerns, and give them recommendations about how a case should progress. With so many cases coming through the court system, it can be hard for parties who do not meet the children to see them as more than a number. The CASA keeps that real life perspective alive in the court.

I think the CASA model of approaching a case would be a good model for everyone involved to follow. The CASA always keeps the child's best interest in mind. They take the time to thoroughly investigate the case and make sure they have the full story. A report is made any time there is a court appearance and there are regular contacts between the family and the CASA. The CASA also takes the time to get the perspective from all of the agencies involved. They contact the DFCS worker, the lawyers, the service providers, the family members, the foster parents, and anyone else involved in a case. They make sure they have that ecological and systematic perspective.

This experience has been incredible. I learned so much about the child welfare system in such a short amount of time. I really think anyone who is going to be involved with child welfare - judges, lawyers, case workers, service providers, etc. - should be mandated to go through a similar type of training. You see so many ways in which children are not being served but luckily a few places where they really are. This program puts a fire and a drive in you to work hard for children because they cannot fight for themselves. Children should be seen, heard, and believed. I learned that all too well this summer. I hope that all agencies keep the best interests of children in mind, as CASAs do, and remember that they are making decisions for people, not pieces of paper.