AOL: Hundreds of foster children in Tarrant County need volunteer advocates

CASA of Tarrant County, a nonprofit that advocates for children in the state’s foster care system, is in desperate need of more volunteers to support abused and neglected children, the group’s leaders said.

The nonprofit works to pair volunteer advocates with a child or children who have been removed from their homes because of allegations of abuse or neglect. There are more than 400 children on a waiting list for volunteer advocates, said Natalie Stalmach, the chief development officer for CASA of Tarrant County.

“We would probably need to grow by at least 50% to serve all those children,” Stalmach said.

Volunteer advocates provide an essential service for children who have experienced abuse and neglect. When children have a CASA volunteer, they are more likely to get out of foster care and be reunified with family, Stalmach said. A CASA volunteer provides a source of continuity for children who have already experienced the trauma of changing homes.

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