LEAKESVILLE — Mississippi has set aside $500,000 for Court Appointed Special Advocates Mississippi, or CASA — a network of trained volunteers who champion children in abuse and neglect cases — marking the state’s first appropriation to help the organization grow into more counties.
The organization fills a gap in youth courts, where judges often lack time and staff to investigate every aspect of a child’s situation. Volunteers act as the court’s eyes and ears, focusing solely on what’s best for the child.
CASA Mississippi, part of the national network, reports children in foster care have an advocate spend less time in care, do better in school and gain access to more resources.
The group currently serves 11 of the state’s 82 counties, including the six along the coast. Advocates say the new appropriation, which took effect July 1, will allow CASA to expand its reach and stabilize funding after years of relying on volatile federal grants and private donations.
Sen. Brice Wiggins, a Republican representing Jackson County, pushed for the appropriation and said he hopes it becomes a recurring state commitment. He’s seen CASA’s impact both as an attorney and as a former volunteer.
“Resources are limited … People think the court has all this — it doesn’t,” Wiggins said. “You have the judge, a clerk and a court reporter. Each side is advocating for where they should be, and CASA — their advocacy is for what’s in the best interest of the child.”
From ‘black-and-white to full color’
Frances Allsup, who directs CASA Southeast Mississippi, said volunteers provide on-the-ground context about cases for judges — insight that helps move cases through youth court more efficiently.
“We bring a different perspective and objectivity, and it really helps with the flow of judgment, and it just brings so much more information,” she said. “Not only are we looking out for the best interest of the child, but we take into account those parents who are really trying to right their wrong.”
Shelley Eubanks, who serves as chancery clerk and clerk of Youth Court in Greene County, was a foster parent and spent nearly half a decade attending youth court proceedings for who was then her foster child, Madilyn.
“Without CASA, I’m not certain that her entire story would have been told, and without a doubt, I feel like it would not have ended the same,” Eubanks said.
Madilyn’s adoption was finalized in December 2019. She said having an advocate meant having someone she could rely on during her time in foster care from ages 4 to 8.
“(Her visits were) checkups based on how I was feeling, how I liked it, and stuff like that,” Madilyn said. “I trusted her with things I told her that I probably would have never opened up to at that age.”
Eubanks said having a CASA volunteer was instrumental in the process.
“Obviously, the courts can’t gather up all the information needed,” Allsup said. “One judge described … when CASA is involved in a case, it’s like it just brings that file to life, and it becomes full color.”
Filling a rural need
Like many rural counties, Greene County doesn’t have county court, so Youth Court runs through chancery with a referee. Eubanks said it takes a large team to work through what are often complex cases.
Greene County has about 40 children in state custody, and roughly half have a CASA advocate — a shift Eubanks said has set a new standard.
That level of support depends on volunteers, Allsup said. She said she’s hopeful the state money will help with recruitment, which has been difficult since COVID-19. New advocates must pass a background check, complete 30 hours of training and observe court proceedings, often shadowing an experienced volunteer first.
One of those veterans is Florence Motes, who has served as an advocate for seven years. She said home visits, school check-ins and other steady contact builds the backbone of the report for the judge.
“I tell people I’m the judge’s eyes and ears,” Motes said. “We have to write a report every time we go to court … Everything that we put in that court report, and everything that we say in court, we have to be able to substantiate.”
Eubanks said she believes the appropriation can do something simple and powerful: put more CASAs in more courtrooms.
“No matter what the circumstances of the case are, that child could always use an advocate, and things just get seen more clearly,” she said. “Hopefully, with this money, CASA is going to expand into some more counties; it’s going to touch some more children’s lives.”
For Madilyn, the impact is measured in everyday life. She plays volleyball year-round, cheers, serves in a leadership club and does her friends’ nails. She’s eyeing The University of Southern Mississippi one day — maybe a business degree and a future in cosmetology.
When asked how she feels knowing more children could have a CASA advocate because of the new funding, she put it simply.
“It’s good,” she said. “They’ll be able to trust her, and she’s going to help them as much as she can with their issues.”