KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cases of child abuse and neglect are skyrocketing. Last year Jackson County saw a record number of cases and Johnson County cases are up 47-percent. A volunteer organization that fights for what’s best for kids says it’s desperately in need of help.
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, and the CASA volunteers only focus is looking out for the child’s best interest.
“You can imagine how scary it would be to be taken from your parents and thrown into the courtroom,” says CASA’s Jackson County Executive Director Martha Gershun. “Also, to have one person looking out for you is pretty important.”
Gershun says the economy’s downturn is partly to blame for her office seeing a record 1,027 abuse and neglect cases last year. She says lots of families who were living on the edge of poverty can’t take a job loss or other financial stress. She also sees single mothers stuck in abusive relationships because they can’t afford to leave. That’s why she says abuse and neglect cases are on the rise.
CASA Volunteer Kathy Bussing says her role is important, because she really gets to know the kids and fights for what they want or need.
“I am there for them,” Bussing says. “I’m not there for the mother or the father, the county or the state. I am there for them.”
Bussing has been a CASA volunteer for 12 years. She’s seen everything from severe cases of abuse to parents who couldn’t afford food. As a mother and a grandmother, she says there’s no doubt these cases can be tough.
“These things do become very personal to me,” she says. “When I’m not with the children, my supervisor will tell you I’ve cried.”
But she knows someone needs to be there for the kids, and even though it’s hard she says she feels an accomplishment. CASA says they desperately need more volunteers. Thanks to a funding increase, including new funding from Wyandotte County, CASA is ready to train 110 more volunteers. There is no educational requirement to be a volunteer, CASA says they’re just looking for people who care about kids. Volunteers can expect to spend between four to eight hours a month on a case, meeting with the kids and talking to teachers or other adults in the child’s life.
Gershun says being a volunteer can be “the best experience of your life,” she says “you can save a child.”
Head to CASA’s website for more information about becoming a volunteer:
