Volunteers Sought To Help RivCo Foster Kids Through Advocacy

RIVERSIDE, CA — Nearly 200 foster children in Riverside County are waiting to be assigned court-appointed special advocates — CASAs — to ensure their needs are met, but there aren't enough volunteers, prompting a nonprofit Thursday to request that eligible residents consider signing up to help.

Voices for Children said that 180 minors currently under the custodial care of the county Department of Public Social Services and its constituent agencies don't have CASAs to provide them assistance.

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"CASAs play a critical role in ensuring children in foster care can thrive, instead of simply surviving, while they are in foster care," Voices for Children Riverside County Managing Director Sharon Morris said. "These are children who have already endured abuse, neglect and abandonment. They need a consistent, caring adult in their lives to speak up for their needs, as they and their families navigate a complex system."

Volunteers often assist with representing their appointed child's position in welfare and other reports to the courts.

The 180 foster youths in Riverside County without CASAs are on a waiting list to be matched with one. Voices for Children said the minors are spread countywide, but the highest concentration is in the Riverside metropolitan area — Corona, Moreno Valley, Riverside. More than 50 of the children in need, however, are in the Coachella Valley.

An estimated 5,000 kids are expected to receive foster placement countywide in 2026, according to Voices for Children.

"A CASA can be a trusted, consistent adult focused only on (the kids) and help the judge presiding over their case make the best possible choices for their welfare," Morris said. "CASAs are also often the only adults who are not paid to be there for these children. A judge once told me that while social workers give a black-and-white outline of who a child is, it's the CASA volunteers who give them a full-color picture that guides their decision- making."

The nonprofit has provided CASA representation to more than 1,700 Riverside County foster youths over the last decade, she said.

There's a constant need for volunteers.

DPSS recognizes the work of CASAs via its "Partners" web portal, which can be found at rivcodpss.org/partners.

General information about CASAs is available at californiacasa.org/. Details on where to find a training seminar are at speakupnow.org/volunteer/volunteer-information-session/.