Jefferson County Needs 30 Volunteers for Kids in Court

When children enter family court because of abuse, neglect or addiction at home, a stranger who chooses to care can become the most important person in their life.

Jefferson County CASA in Birmingham, Alabama needs 30 to 35 more volunteers to advocate for 175 children currently in the court system. These Court Appointed Special Advocates become consistent adults who show up month after month for kids who desperately need someone in their corner.

The work isn't complicated. Volunteers receive training to navigate the family court system and build relationships with families. After being sworn in by the court, they visit their assigned child at least once a month, talk with parents, teachers and foster families, and attend court hearings every 90 days to recommend what's best for the child.

Michael Jackson, an attorney who volunteers, grew up in a loving two-parent home. He knows the kids he meets weren't so lucky. "It's not their fault that they're there," he said about children in the system.

Tamara Boman, a paralegal volunteer, understands these kids because she lived their reality. "I know how it is to grow up in a dysfunctional home. I know how it feels to be unheard as a child," she said. Mentors who believed in her changed her life, and now she's paying that forward.

One surprise for Boman has been how supported volunteers feel. When staff say they're available anytime, they mean it. Jackson agrees that no one has to navigate difficult situations alone.

Why This Inspires

Program Director Jasmine Branch says the goal is always reunification when it's safe. Volunteers connect families with resources they need to heal and stay together.

Sometimes they identify that a parent needs mental health support or addiction treatment. Sometimes they just make sure a child's school knows what they're going through at home.

The cases can be messy and heartbreaking. Jackson admitted he once thought he'd never touch family court work again after seeing it in law school. But he reconsidered with a simple question: "If people like us don't get involved, then who? Who's going to be there for those kids?"

Branch reminds potential volunteers that their impact reaches far beyond a single court case. "You have the potential to impact a child's life not just in this moment but indefinitely," she said.

CASA of Jefferson County is offering several volunteer training sessions in September for anyone ready to become that consistent person in a child's life.