Best and Worst Practices in Minnesota CPS (part 4 of 4)

Investigative Reporter Jessie Van Berkel wrote a very strong piece about the CASA Guardian ad Litem program in the Star Tribune recently. She brought attention to how a few bad decisions from new management almost ended a community volunteer institution at a time when it is most needed by the children it serves.

From an average of over 350 volunteers annually, by a few bad management decisions, the CASA community volunteer program has been reduced to 12 volunteers today.

Over the last 40 years, 10,000 Minnesota volunteer CASA Guardians ad Litem helped thousands of children through the most painful and scary time of their lives.

From the article;

Last year, Minnesota was poised to become the second state in the nation not to use volunteers to help do the work, favoring a shift to paid employees only. Then, amid pushback, the board overseeing the program reversed course.

Across Minnesota, roughly 5,400 children have an assigned guardian but today and most of the last two decades, about 250 Minnesota children in CPS remain without one, according to state data.

When kids are left without a guardian ad litem, it’s because of churn in those staff members and the inability to hire and retain experienced, knowledgeable workers to deal with difficult situations, board member Ann Ahlstrom said.

(KARA note: turnover in the paid staff program is about 50% or 2 years, which is about the length of time a new hire takes to learn the job and be effective)

From the article:

Minnesota was a leader in the national volunteer guardian ad litem movement more than 40 years ago, she said, and it’s sad to see how the program has diminished.

“Children need more people, not less,” said Sally Erny from CASA National, and, “Volunteers are more important now then ever.”

(KARA note: Some of my CASA case children have said to me directly, “do you really do this without getting paid?”). It makes a difference to the child living in a cold institutional setting that they are valued highly enough for people in the community to just want to help them.

A guardian ad litem has a unique position, with their sole focus on the child’ best interest.

“That voice is something that is really important for a judge to hear,” (Sally Erny).

WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK

and most of all, your State Representative

(find them here)

change will come a little bit faster.

Small efforts = real results.

When enough of us become informed and

speak up for abused and neglected children,

we will improve their lives and our communities!

From the Star Tribune article, “Children really don’t have a voice in courtroom except through the adults, so the guardian program is very important,” said Kathleen Blatz, a former Minnesota Supreme Court chief justice who serves on the state’s Guardian ad Litem Board. “To have volunteers who are so connected to the community … and, with training, are very qualified to give in this meaningful way for children — and I just think, why would we say no to that?”

*While the Star Tribune article uses a lower number for total volunteer Guardians ad Litem, this volunteer remember at or over 400 volunteers for the last several decades.

KARA / kidsatriskaction / invisiblechildren.org

This article contributed by Mike Tikkanen former CASA Guardian ad Litem

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Original text with links to comments & rebuttals of management here

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