Investing in CASA Programs could help West Virginia’s Foster Care Crisis
Imagine being removed from the only home you’ve ever known.
In just hours, you’re separated from your parents, your classmates, and maybe even your siblings. You’re just a kid, and you can’t understand why strangers are suddenly making decisions about where you live. But this isn’t just a thought experiment.
At this very moment, it’s reality for 5,823 children in West Virginia.
98 of those children live in Raleigh County, which CASA of New River serves.
So, what happens when your state places more children in foster care than the nation as a whole?
You heard that right.
Adjusted for population, compared to the United States as a whole, West Virginia places four times as many children in foster care per capita.
When it gets to that point, you have a foster care crisis.
You have a chronically overwhelmed system without enough social workers or foster homes. You have 400 children in out-of-state group homes and psychiatric facilities — some of them nearly 2,000 miles from home, living in California or Washington. And in the worst-case scenario, you have disturbing tragedies like the recent death of a four-month-old baby in the foster care system.
The reasons behind West Virginia’s foster care crisis are complex. But research suggests it has a lot to do with the state’s high rates of poverty and substance use disorder. When parents can’t afford to feed their children, keep them housed, or get addiction treatment, abuse and neglect are more likely.
But there’s some good news, too.
Research has shown that investing in safety net programs like TANF and SNAP can reduce the number of children initially placed in foster care.
Studies have also found that CASA programs can reduce the strain on overwhelmed foster care systems.
As you can imagine, legal proceedings are stressful for children in foster care. When judges decide what’s in a child’s best interest, they rely on information from caseworkers, attorneys, caregivers, and school officials. And while each of those individuals may care deeply about the child, they often don’t have the full picture.
Our CASA of New River Advocates are trained members of the community appointed by a judge. They take time to truly get to know children, review their case files, and serve as their voice in the courtroom.
Their steady presence makes a tremendous difference. Research shows children with CASA Advocates are more likely to find a permanent home and less likely to re-enter the foster care system.
Although CASA of New River has only been around for two years, the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
85 percent of the children we’ve worked with have left the foster care system and found safe, permanent homes.
“It’s daunting to think about what happened to children in Raleigh County before CASA of New River existed,” said Executive Director Dr. Kristi Dumas. “Before us, there were no CASA services for children in one of our state’s most populous counties. To this day, only four counties in southern West Virginia have CASA programs.”
We believe every child who has experienced abuse or neglect deserves to be safe, have a permanent home, and be given opportunities to thrive. Every county in West Virginia should have a CASA program, and every kid in the system should have a CASA Advocate.
While no single person can solve our state’s entire foster care crisis, we’ve seen time and time again that a single volunteer can change a child’s story.
Interested in volunteering with CASA of New River?
Email drdumas@casaofnewriver.onmicrosoft.com