KENNEWICK — Benton County is closing out its court-appointed special advocate program for divorce court.
Instead of having two dozen trained volunteers looking out for the interests of children whose parents are divorcing, the county will have one full-time paid advocate.
The changeover, which is expected to occur in September, may not save any money, but it will make things go smoother and quicker, said Craig Matheson, Benton County Superior Court judge. The CASA program has a $140,000 annual budget, most of which pays for the program coordinator and provides volunteer training.
Karen Kirk, who is the CASA coordinator for family court, will take over the program, replacing the volunteers who handle 40 to 50 cases a year, Matheson said.
Switching to an in-house investigator will be better for the children, too, Matheson said, because having one person doing all the cases will provide consistency. Another goal is to have preliminary reports issued early so court commissioners can have basic information before making temporary placements for children.
"By doing it this way, we hope to get preliminary reports quickly. And in the long run it may save us some money," the judge said.
Matheson said county officials spent eight months looking at CASA programs around the state, only to discover that most used the in-house investigator model. He called the change to eliminating the volunteer program a restructuring, and said anyone who is a CASA volunteer for the divorce cases can switch to doing the same thing for juvenile court and get paid for it as a guardian ad litem.
Tawney Carrier, an attorney with Cowan Moore Stam Luke and Petersen in Kennewick who also is a CASA volunteer, said the real challenge will be for Kirk to handle all of the cases and still be able to protect the children who are at risk.
"This (decision) kills the program. It is gone," said a CASA volunteer with seven years experience who identified herself as Linda Waters and declined to give her true last name because of the confidential nature of her work.
"These are the most difficult cases, with children who have been placed most at risk with abuse and neglect. How are you going to protect them (with only one investigator)? I know I wouldn't sleep if something happened to one of my kids," she said.
Toni Fulton of Kennewick questioned Matheson during a special CASA volunteer meeting at the Benton County Justice Center late Tuesday afternoon about why the volunteers were the last to be told and didn't have any input into the discussions.
"What about us who want to be volunteers? I was completely caught off guard," said Fulton, who also identified herself with a last name used in doing CASA work. She said it didn't make any sense to get rid of volunteers and then offer to train them to be paid case workers for juvenile court cases.
"How does that save money?" she asked.
Stephanie Matthews, who said she has volunteered for five years, asked how families benefiting from CASA could be assured one investigator will be able to provide the same quality of service.
Matheson said Kirk is experienced and capable and has agreed to accept the assignment. If it becomes too much for her, additional help will be hired, he said. And there will be some changes in the scope of work expected, Matheson noted.
"I think children deserve more than having less time. I'm really disappointed in the decision you've made," Fulton said.
Waters said Matheson's estimate of 40 cases a year seems low when compared with recent history. There were 105 CASA cases assigned to volunteers in divorce court in 2009, she noted.
Superior Court Judge Carrie Runge said county officials looked long and hard at the issue and concluded the change "will be beneficial for the children."
-- John Trumbo: 509-582-1529; jtrumbo@tricityherald.com
