PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County commissioners have agreed to continue funding a full-time volunteer coordinator and a part-time administrative assistant for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program through the end of the year.
Commissioners will discuss during an upcoming budget meeting whether funding will continue in 2020.
Director of Juvenile and Family Services Jody Jacobson told commissioners that her department did not receive a $750,000 grant that she had hoped would continue to fund the program.
The hope was that the grant would replace the Victims of Crime Act grant that had been funding 2.5 positions considered key to the program’s growth in recent months.
Those staff positions help support the CASA volunteers, who advocate for children involved in dependency cases.
The 20-month grant funded 2.5 positions that helped the program go from 19 CASAs in 2017, serving a third of the children in dependency court, up to about 70 volunteers now.
“We are at about 70 volunteers, which is excellent, but we still have a need for more volunteers,” Jacobson said.
“We have 160 active cases and 95 cases have volunteers representing them. We have a gap and a new goal that we want to recruit 120 volunteers,” she said. “That would be one CASA per family.”
Jacobson said that meeting that goal would require increased supervision by staff.
She said CASAs first take one case, but some take on two or three cases.
“There’s so much to learn and to go over to make sure they feel comfortable and confident in the important role they have,” she said.
Those employees support CASA volunteers, especially new volunteers, who advocate for the county’s most vulnerable children in dependency court. They learn about each situation and tell the judge what is best for each child.
Commissioner Randy Johnson said funding for 2020 will need to be discussed, but that there historically have been too few CASAs and that “kids were falling through the cracks.”
About 85 percent of the children in dependency court in Clallam County are there as a result of the local opioid crisis, officials have said.
Administrator Rich Sill told commissioners that the CASAs provide cost savings to the county.
The service is mandated by the state, but is not fully funded by the state.
When there aren’t enough CASA volunteers, attorneys — who charge fees — are then appointed to advocate for the kids.
“It’s a valuable program even if it did not achieve a cost savings, but when it does, being able to describe that is very helpful,” Commissioner Mark Ozias said.
For more information about CASA, or to volunteer, call 360-417-2282.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
