Advocates for Children welcomed six new Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers this week.

Janet Ward, representing the National CASA Association, welcomed the incoming volunteers. She reminded them that they are now part of something bigger than themselves. “You are a part of national movement,” Ward said. “From coast to coast, thousands of CASA volunteers are stepping forward to give these children the opportunities they deserve. But there are also still thousands of children who need people like you to lift up their lives, so your work is essential.”

Organizers say that Indiana’s drug epidemic, especially drug abuse by parents, has led to a massive spike in the number of children entering the child protection system. Over the last five years, they say that the annual number of these children served by Advocates for Children has nearly doubled, reaching an all time high of 841 served in 2016.

“These are our community’s most vulnerable children,” said Rick Scalf, Community Outreach Coordinator for Advocates for Children. “And were it not for their CASA volunteers, they might be without a consistent and stable adult influence during one of the most difficult times in their young lives.” Scalf says that CASA volunteers maintain contact with the children, their caseworkers, parents and others in order to “create a holistic picture of the child’s circumstances and make recommendations to the courts about what course of action will be in that child’s best interest.”

Scalf says that with another 300 children on the agency’s waiting list, Advocates for Children is already preparing for it’s next training class, which begins next week. He says that there is still time to sign up. “There’s no simpler way to put it,” Scalf continued. “Our children need you. They need your voice. With a commitment of only a few hours a week, this is a chance to make a difference in a way that will impact our community for generations.”

Advocates for Children provides CASA volunteers for children in Bartholomew, Decatur and Jennings counties. If you would like to learn more, or sign up for a class, visit the agency’s website at apowerfulvoice.org/casa, or call (877) 604-9402.