SUN CITY – While most take the sign of heading to court as owning up to a wrongdoing or to serve on a jury, Bob Beaupre and a group of people earlier this month filed in to the Kane County Courthouse for another reason.
Beaupre was one of many to become a Court-Appoint Special Advocate – Guardian ad Litem, or CASA/GAL for short.
As Bob Beaupre’s SCCAH Board term closes, he prepares to help children in the court system by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
CASA Kane County was set up in the 80s as a response to concerns that the needs and rights of abused and neglected children were not adequately being addressed in court, according to the county’s Web page dedicated to the service.
Those who volunteer are appointed to all child abuse and neglect cases in Juvenile Court and all private guardianship cases that include minors in Probate Court.
Beaupre said volunteers are tasked with a particular case and then must find out as much information as he or she can in order to report it to the presiding judge.
Among the duties he is tasked with, Beaupre notes that he is provided access to court files, reports, and other information that relates to the child, and he can also establish contact with the child and any individual who has contact with the child.
“Once we collect all the information we need, we write it up and submit it to the judge,” he says.
Beaupre added that CASA/GALs are chosen for particular cases based on their gender and location, among other factors. “It’s what would be best for the child,” he says. “You want someone there they can be comfortable around.”
Beaupre, whose term on the Sun City association board ends this month, said he was looking for a way to fill his time and credits the decision partially to his “very long career” as an educator.
Beaupre mentioned the amount of work needed to become a CASA/GAL, which included a series of courses that “essentially gave us the full spectrum of the children we may come across at any given time.”
To date, there are approximately 250 CASA volunteers in Kane County. It is unknown how long the volunteer/certification lasts, but Beaupre noted that the county is always looking for more to sign up.
More information on CASA is available at casakanecounty.org, including how to volunteer and the history of the program.
