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| Library: Advocacy | |||||
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Stephen Elliott: Speaks Up for CASA! |
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| Document Author: Lynette Mullen Publication: The Connection, Spring 04; Carla Spaccarotelli, Editor Posted: 4/04 |
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 As a former ward of the court, author Stephen Elliott is a strong proponent of CASA. Unfortunately, Elliott can only guess at the difference a CASA volunteer may have made in his life. No CASA program existed in Chicago in 1985 when Elliott entered the juvenile dependency system at the age of 14. Elliott had spent the previous year “living between a broom closet and a convenience store” after escaping an abusive father. His mother had died when he was thirteen. After entering the “system”, Elliott spent his adolescence living in a mental health facility, children’s shelters and group homes. He wrote his second novel, A Life Without Consequences, as a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences. During a radio interview about the book, Elliott suggested that interested listeners help children caught in the juvenile dependency system by getting involved with CASA. Soon after the interview, the director of a local CASA program invited Elliott to speak at a fundraiser. “They asked me if I would come and speak as a former ward of the court. They wanted to hear from someone on the other side of the child welfare equation,” Elliott explains. After his appearance at the 2003 National CASA conference in Boston, invitations from CASA programs continued. Elliott uses his experiences to spotlight the challenges facing children in the foster care system. “It was rough in the group homes and other placements,” he says, “and I was not a particularly rough kid. This made my experience much harder.” Elliott says that he, like many children in dependency, faced constant uncertainty: “I was never told what would happen next.” Many times Elliott chose to run away from this ambiguity and the dangers he perceived in his placement. Unfortunately, he says, the consequences of his actions often lead to even harsher conditions. “Running away was very traumatic and often I would end up somewhere worse, in a facility willing to take a runaway risk.” Elliott believes his experience highlights one of the problems with the child welfare system. “Often a child’s placement is essentially a role of the dice. A child can end up anywhere.” He believes a CASA volunteer could have made the difference in his situation by advocating for fewer and more appropriate placements. “Having a consistent person throughout the ordeal in Chicago, having some touchstone would have made a tremendous difference for me,” he says. “I had over eight placements in four years… I could have asked a CASA volunteer what was going to happen next and understood the steps in the system. I might not have believed my only option was to run away.” Elliott likens the situation to being on hold on the telephone. “If you have silence on the other end, after a while you are likely to hang up. But if a recording tells you help is coming, you will usually hang on the line.” He believes that children living with constant uncertainty are more likely to run away or emotionally disconnect, often by using drugs or alcohol. “Having a person to talk to and advocate on the child’s behalf can make a huge difference,” Elliott says. “During my experience, I had no one to go to.” Fortunately Elliott was able to find adult success despite this lack of support. “I made some good decisions (Elliott quit using drugs at 16 years old), but I didn’t know at the time how important those decisions were. I was also lucky.” The author believes his life could have easily gone the other way. “The odds were against me. Most of my friends didn’t turn out so well,” he says. Once Elliott stopped using drugs and applied himself the support was there. “I have noticed that if you are really doing well people want to be a part of it. The positive reinforcement fed me and helped keep me on track.” Elliott completed high school in two years and attended the University of Illinois on a full scholarship. He received a Master’s degree from Northwestern University, has lectured on creative writing at Stanford University and has published four novels. He is currently writing a book about the 2004 presidential campaign. Unfortunately, Elliott points out, finding professional and personal success can be difficult for children who have grown up in dependency. Many of his childhood friends are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Some are in abusive relationships. Others are in prison. “Many times, especially in a group home situation where there are many children, the child who is doing well, who is good-looking or charismatic will naturally get the most attention,” he observes, “while those who need it most can be forgotten.” Elliott believes CASAs make a difference, in part, because CASA volunteers don’t choose their CASA child. “I think this is a big plus. The child may be reticent and may not be the cute kid, but CASAs can recognize and respect the child’s value as an individual. It is the CASA volunteer’s responsibility to do their best and these children desperately need this.” Elliott acknowledges that working with children who have experienced trauma may be especially challenging, but stresses that the CASA volunteer’s commitment to their CASA child must be unwavering. “These kids are tough because they’ve had to be. CASA volunteer’s need to have the patience to convince the child they are not going anywhere. And the CASA volunteer needs to be committed to seeing the situation through to the end… The last thing a child needs is to have one more person come in and out of their life.” While Elliott says that children in foster care often miss out on many typical childhood experiences, he insists that “All that is secondary to spending time with the child, being consistent… It is people who will make the difference for that child, not bureaucracies (social service agencies, the court system). Our laws don’t take individual situations into account and every child is unique. Volunteers may not be able to fix the child, but they can at least try to minimize the damage affected on children who have suffered enough.”
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