Before signing up as a Volunteer!

Many people consider helping abused children and are willing to do so free of charge in the best interest of these vulnerable children.

But many volunteer organisations are not independently reviewed and they may actually be abusing volunteers who seek to help especially with no independent agency getting feedback from volunteers.

Like many volunteers, I put my heart to serving and I have done so for many years and even gone as far as floating my own organisation for young people. But serving through CASA has left a bad taste in my mouth. While I will continue to encourage service to humanity especially children, I want you to be mindful of what you are signing up for so that your expectation will not be cut short.

While undergoing my training with CASA, during a restroom break, a lady said fearfully, “I don’t think they are telling us the truth about the time commitment”. After the training, this lady was sworn in as a volunteer but never signed up for a case. When I met her few months later, she said she still doesn’t believe the commitment is just about 10 hours a month and she wouldn’t want to be caught in the mix. She continued to attend refresher trainings but never signed up for a case!

Her fears I definitely envisaged before I signed up for a case. But it turned out that there were more unsaid rules. So before you sign up as a volunteer, please note the following:

§    Though the website says 30 hours, you will be expected to spend more than 30 hours in training. This includes in class training time, time to complete paper work including four references, time for feedbacks, time for assignments, time for fingerprinting, time for court observation, time for court swearing in after completion of your training, time for signing volunteer documents and if you choose to take a case immediately after your training, time to review suggested cases!

§     You are expected to have a car. No one will ask if you can use your car for CASA but you will be expected to and not ask for gas reimbursement. Not having a car may mean not being signed up. If you have a car but can only manage limited mileage, be sure to say so and specifically request for cases within your locality.
§     If you sign up for a case, your average volunteer commitment a month is 20 hours or more especially considering that you are expected to check your email daily, respond to email and phone calls promptly and go to the office at the drop of a hat! You are expected to meet with your supervisor regularly, attend court proceeding which may be monthly or quarterly, visit the children twice a month and meet with all concerned with the case (foster parent, biological parents, etc.) physically or/and on phone regularly.

§     Your commitment is NEVER rewarded and at times getting a thank you may be a hard sell. Opportunities for continuing education and access to resource library are mentioned online but may not be mentioned during training.

§      If your case extends beyond the required one-year commitment or your child is moved out of your locality, you may at your own expense be expected or cajoled into remaining on the case “in the best interest of the child”.

§     Your supervisor is your boss! Be ready to smile and take it when she drums you down, talk negatively about those you are expected to work with or order you around.

§   OYO! You are pretty much ‘on your own’; don’t expect support (other than ensuring you follow the rules especially with regards to communication and documentation) e.g. if your child is moved, it is your prerogative to get the new contact information. If the office is giving a gift to your child, you are expected to take it there at your own expense, if your child’s foster parent is changed, you are expected to introduce yourself to the new foster parent but you may get the office to send a letter after you meet a brick wall.

§     Your court report may be tweaked, “in the best interest of the child”. This is very easy because your signature, which will be digitally stored, can be appended to a court report against your approval.

§     Your court appointment will be ‘terminated’! Whether you perform well or below standard, when it is time for you to exit the case (maybe because permanency is reached for the child or the child is moved far away from you and you cannot manage the commute), you will be sent a termination order. That’s just the way the court words it, so prepare for the psychological effect of ‘termination’.

§    You are not expected to develop any enduring relationship. Once the case ends, you are expected to cease all contacts. So even though you may have built a friendship with the caseworker or become a constant friend in the child’s life, you are expected to halt all contacts.

§     Your timesheet translates to money for the office so you may be expected to carry out activities that may be a waste of your time, e.g. calling a number that is not going through, “After all you can log it as work done”.

§    You will be required to attend mandatory or refresher trainings “in the best interest of the child” to enable you do a better job.

§       While there are a number of procedures for reporting or resolving conflict and disagreement, between you and your supervisor or the office you volunteer at, you may not be told during the training that you can file a written complaint with the Chief Executive Officer or Board of Directors. I only just found this out and may explore it “in the best interest of the child”.

§      You will be encouraged to do other things like stuffing gift boxes or attending the annual conference at your own expense! The anticipated early registration for next year is $350 (with discount for active advocates) and discounted hotel rooms are fixed for $125 plus taxes.

I was resolute about pulling through ‘in the best interest of the child’ but my supervisor’s commanding tone and negativity about everyone I’m expected to work with just bruised me, coupled with the fact that when the children where moved to a 3-hour round trip location (plus the time I will spend in visit), the office insisted they could not make provision for gas or rental car. Everything I suggested including bus pass (this would be a time commitment of 8-10 hours per visit!) or a staff driving me down once a month was turned down. Yet, the children received no birthday gift for the year and this could have been put to better use especially considering the investment in training and friendship.

My passion for children existed before CASA and that passion lives on. One thing I am taking away is an opportunity to replicate the initiative for the benefit of abused children in my home country but of course without the loopholes. 

In deciding to volunteer or help abused children, I hope this article empowers you.