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Advocates for children in the foster-care system are essential to helping them through what can be a complex and difficult time in their lives.
CASA: Jude and Wayne McDaniel
There is wide agreement from both sides of the political aisle that the state’s foster-care system does not do enough to support Kansas kids whose family situations are in limbo.
What if there were a way to assist one of those kids directly? There is, and it’s called CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates. These advocates serve children who are in the dependency court system because of abuse or neglect.
No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. 
–Emma Goldman
Jude and Wayne McDaniel have been CASA volunteers for about eight years and are working with their third CASA child. Both say their CASA kids have brought them laughter, pride and fun while they and each child have navigated family challenges, court meetings and trauma wrought by their past.
“These kids need somebody consistent in their life. They have a new case worker about every six months, they move foster home to foster home, and relationships come and go. So the most valuable thing about a CASA volunteer is that we’re going to be there as long as he’s in the system. We are a consistent person who cares about him,” Wayne says.
The McDaniels pair up to help each CASA kid—kind of a two-for-one deal for the child. CASA children can live anywhere in the state, and many move around regularly, so the McDaniels use the time on their drives to plan, discuss and process how best to help their CASA child.
When they meet with their CASA kid, the McDaniels like to do activities the child will enjoy. They have taken kids ice skating, fishing, swimming and hiking, and to meals at restaurants. Spending time and getting to know the kid is a bright spot for all involved, and the McDaniels learn more about what the child needs and wants to succeed.
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“Advocating is not just advocating with the court. We call the school, we talk with the principal, teachers, counselors, foster parents, their parents; we talk with anybody involved,” Jude says.
The McDaniels have chosen to work with high school-aged children, because Jude says there aren’t as many people willing to work with that age. It can be difficult to connect at times; they don’t always see breakthroughs. And there are setbacks.
“Sometimes I’m frustrated, angry and disappointed. But you can only do what you can do. You have to move on and hope that the next thing that happens will be better. Look to the future,” Wayne says.
The McDaniels say they gain satisfaction knowing that they provide a voice for a child who might be buried in a large system, whose life and future are on the line. Rewards may be momentary, but they are monumental when they come.
The couple’s current CASA child doesn’t talk a lot about his feelings and was hard to read at the outset, Jude says. Then one day about nine months into their time together, when they were leaving after an outing with him, he began to walk away and then promptly turned around and came across the room to hug them.
“We’re doing something that impacts their lives,” she adds.
Most of the kids have no idea what any of their options are or how to make choices about those options, so the McDaniels see broadening the child’s view as part of their role, as well.
“With us, they see what a normal family life looks like. They see a healthy relationship, they see work responsibilities, they see what it’s like to be kind to one another. That may or may not happen in the foster-home system,” Jude explains.
CASA volunteers write reports about their children for formal court meetings and the CRB (court-required board) as part of their advocacy.
The McDaniels came to volunteer with CASA because they knew an active volunteer in their Sunday-morning class who was moving out of state. She was asking for someone to take her place to help Kansas kids. Three people from the class became CASA volunteers because of her.
“We’ve known for a long time about kids in the foster system and how difficult it was for them,” Wayne says. “There’s an attraction to being able to be in a position to advocate for kids, to make sure their voice is heard and their interests get pursued.”
