For many children, summer means trips to the beach, bike rides, summer camp and family vacations — but for some children in the foster care system, summer break can come with isolation, less opportunity for fun activities and fewer adults checking in on their well-being.
That's where Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers step in.
Voices for Children — a nonprofit that recruits and trains CASA volunteers for Riverside County's juvenile dependency courts — said its volunteers play a key role during the summer by helping foster youth stay connected and experience activities and the joy of being a kid.
Sharon Morris, managing director of Voices for Children in Riverside County, previously served as a CASA volunteer herself, recalled one child she first met at age 5 and still keeps in touch with today as an adult.
"She'll tell you foster care was not a fun time for her," Morris said. "But the one thing that made it bearable was she knew that I was coming to visit her. She knew exactly when I was coming, and [that] she could get out of the home and just be a kid for a little while."
Each CASA volunteer is appointed by a juvenile dependency court judge to advocate for a child in foster care. Volunteers visit at least once a month, build relationships with the children and submit reports to the court every six months outlining what each child needs to thrive.
Unlike social workers, attorneys or foster parents, CASA volunteers are unpaid community members who choose to spend time with a child simply because they want to, according to Morris — and that consistency often helps children open up about their experiences.
"Because they're volunteers, the children tend to be more open, more trusting," she said. "Because here is someone who is here because they want to be, rather than because they're paid to be. Even their foster parents are paid to have them in the home, and so the CASA [volunteer] is the only unpaid person, and it means a lot to the kids."
Morris also said it's important that children in foster care have an adult to check in on their well-being while school is out for the summer.
"Teachers are the number one reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect," said Morris. "When kids aren't at school, it really worries us. Who's keeping an eye on these kids?"
Summer presents other challenges for children in foster care, Morris said, since opportunities to participate in activities or chances to spend time with family can become even more scarce without the structure of school. Additionally, many kids have been separated from siblings, moved away from friends or enrolled in new schools.
CASA volunteers try to help bridge those gaps in a variety of ways. Some take children on bike rides, hikes or visits to local parks and lakes. Others help siblings meet up for outings or take kids to explore museums, libraries and community events.
For some children in foster care, those experiences are entirely new.
"We have a lot of kids who say, 'No one's ever taught me how to ride a bike,'" Morris said.
Volunteers also advocate for educational opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.
While they do not tutor children, they can work with caregivers, social workers and the courts to ensure children have access to summer camps, tutoring programs or enrichment activities that fit their individual needs.
Sometimes that means helping remove barriers such as transportation or funding.
"The CASA's role really is to make sure everyone is on the same page," Morris said, "so the child doesn't get forgotten and fall through the cracks with something as simple as summer camp."
The organization currently serves hundreds of Riverside County children each year, but demand continues to outpace the number of available volunteers, according to Morris.
Nearly 6,000 children are expected to spend time in Riverside County's foster care system this year, Morris said, with Voices for Children serving about 800 of those kids last fiscal year — and between 150 to 200 kids still on the organization's waiting list.
The nonprofit is continuing to recruit volunteers — with a particular need for male advocates and bilingual English-Spanish speakers, a need the organization highlighted earlier this year.
Prospective volunteers attend a virtual information session before completing an application, interview and four-week online training program, a commitment Morris said typically requires about two hours a week.
"These are kids who someone has determined desperately need an advocate in their corner, and the only obstacle between us helping those kids is getting more volunteers," Morris said.
More information: Visit speakupnow.org.
