Arizona’s court system in dire need of volunteers to help children in foster care

PHOENIX — Arizona’s foster care system is facing a severe shortage of volunteers.

This leaves over 12,000 children without the support they desperately need, according to Lawrence Fulvey, a longtime Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

“Right now, I think we’ve got 1,200 CASAs around,” Fulvey told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Foster children with a court-appointed advocate report high levels of hope, according to CASA of Arizona.

Advocates are particularly crucial when children are removed from abusive or neglectful homes, losing the only environment they’ve ever known, he said.

“Some kids are able to go home with Grandma or be with an aunt or uncle,” Fulvey said. “It’s not quite as traumatic as being taken to a new place or a new institution where they are going to live.”

Children in an unfamiliar situation need someone stable to rely on, which is one of many ways having a foster advocate can make a huge difference, he added.

The benefits are twofold. Not only does volunteering help children, but it also provides an enriching experience for the adult helping the child, Fulvey said.

“I get more out of it than the kids do,” Fulvey said. “It exposed me to a whole part of society, and a whole system within our state, that really does try to look out for kids who are abused and neglected.”

What’s it like to volunteer to help Arizona’s foster care system?

Helping children as a CASA volunteer requires a robust training program that takes around 40 hours to complete. Advocates also are required to take continuing education of 12 hours per year.

“I knew nothing about juvenile court, dependency court. I really knew nothing about it,” Fulvey said.

The training is provided by the state via CASA of Arizona. However, counties also provide deeper training so advocates can develop experience.

“You’re also expected to attend court hearings for other CASAs so that you can see what happens in court so that the first time you’re in court is not the first time you’re in court with one of your own cases,” Fulvey said.

Once training is over, a CASA volunteer will know everything about how to represent a child in Arizona’s foster care system.

Once foster advocates complete their training, they’ll be sworn in as officers of the court with duties, rights and responsibilities as a part of the system.

“In the court, the judge depends very heavily on the CASA,” Fulvey said. “At every court hearing I’ve ever been to, the judge will say, ‘Does the CASA agree with this?’ They look upon you as one of the experts.”

Volunteer for Arizona’s foster care system says it’s life-changing

It’s a big commitment. Foster advocates are expected to see their children at least twice a month. They write up court reports and participate in meetings with the child’s family and service organizations.

“We generally say 15-20 hours a month, which is a pretty good commitment,” Fulvey said. “But I can tell you it’s 15-20 hours well-spent because it’s one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.”

Taking on this opportunity to help children in Arizona’s foster care system has helped Fulvey in ways he didn’t imagine it would when he first signed up.

Nearly 10 years have passed since he retired as an IT project manager and began volunteering. Although he and his wife never had children, one of the kids he’s supported through CASA of Arizona has become like a child to him.

“A kid who turned 18 and graduated from foster care … still calls me Dad because there was no other positive male role model in his life. We’re still in contact with each other,” Fulvey said. “So we have some real feel-good, happy ending stories.”