By Josephine E. Moore, The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — A West Virginia organization centered on advocating for children who have been abused or neglected to find them a permanent home now has a base in Raleigh County.
In July, Kristi Williams Dumas was named the executive director of CASA of New River, based in Beckley, and was sworn in by Raleigh County Circuit Judge Andrew Dimlich as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA).
The goal of CASA of New River is to assemble a group of trained, volunteer, court-appointed special advocates who can represent a child’s best interest while in court.
A judge appoints court-appointed special advocates for cases involving child abuse or neglect.
Dumas said these advocates help ensure the child’s voice is not lost during the process.
“When I get court orders, and you look at the recipient list of the court orders, you have 10 names on there – attorney for this parent, attorney for that parent … . There are so many people involved in it, but who’s saying what the kid wants?” Dumas said.
She added that this is the role of court appointed special advocates, to be solely focused on the wants and needs of children in abuse and neglect cases and to ensure those needs and wants are met.
