More volunteers needed to advocate for kids who suffer abuse, neglect

A pinwheel is a child’s toy. It evokes what children’s lives should be, happy and carefree.

Blow on a pinwheel and it spins. It is people-powered.

On Tuesday, people devoted to helping kids whose lives have been affected by abuse or neglect planted hundreds of pinwheels on the lawn outside Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett.

Hosted by the Snohomish County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program, the event was a local first. Attended by judges and others working in the court system, it recognized court-appointed volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children in cases involving allegations of abuse or neglect.

The program was part of a national “Pinwheels for Prevention” campaign, an effort of the Prevent Child Abuse America organization.

Snohomish County Executive John Lovick declared April to be National Child Abuse Awareness Month, and thanked the volunteer guardians who help in the dependency process. “They’re the ones out there,” he said.

The event was also a call for many more volunteers.

There are now 183 volunteer guardians advocating for 543 children in Snohomish County Superior Court’s dependency court. Tuesday’s planting of 400 blue and silver pinwheels represented the number of kids now without VGAL representation, according to Kristine Morse, interim community services supervisor with the program. Without a volunteer guardian, a case might take longer and involve added legal costs.

Training is scheduled three times a year, with the next session starting May 9.

Dependency cases — they aren’t criminal cases — generally begin with referrals to Child Protective Services, perhaps from teachers or neighbors. In court, parents and the state have attorneys. Children are represented by the volunteer guardians. They gather information and write reports that go to judges and the other parties in cases.

Volunteers are trained, but don’t need a legal background. They come with varied work experiences.

Chris Richey, 65, became a volunteer guardian four years ago after a long career as a hair stylist.

“I love doing this. I would recommend it to anyone,” the Snohomish woman said. “We represent the child. We meet with parents, doctors, teachers, day-care providers and social workers.”

Richey, who juggles several cases at a time, said the work takes her into homes for visits. Security can be a consideration, and volunteers sometimes do home visits in pairs. If a child is returned home, she follows up for six months afterward.

She recalled one gratifying experience when she pushed for a special evaluation of a child with severe behavioral problems. The child had been in multiple homes, but not for long. Richey said the child was eventually helped by therapy addressing issues of trauma. “The change was phenomenal,” she said.

Many volunteer guardians are retired and the majority are women — but not all. At 29, Pete Smith has a full-time job and is a volunteer guardian ad litem. Speaking at Tuesday’s event, he likened the state’s social workers to teachers. With 30 kids in a classroom, even the best teachers struggle to find enough time to help each student, he said. “I get to work 3-to-1,” said Smith, a recent Central Washington University graduate who lives in Lynnwood.

“To see children placed into foster care and know they’re loved and being taken care of, or if parents step up and children are reunited with family, there’s nothing more rewarding,” Smith said. “I take it very seriously. Everyone I’ve met is a fierce advocate for children.”

Adam Cornell, a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor, spoke about his own childhood, much of it spent in Washington’s foster care system. Cornell, the 2015 recipient of the Norm Maleng Advocate for Youth Award, has long been an advocate for foster children. In Oregon, he pushed for a law to help former foster kids with college tuition.

“I could have easily ended up on the other side of the courtroom,” he said. Along the way, Cornell said he was lucky to have been helped by the right people.

“There are kids in our community who aren’t so lucky,” Cornell said. “We can’t just leave our kids to luck.”

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Learn more

For information about becoming a court-appointed special advocate with the Snohomish County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program, call 425-388-7854 or see the application at tinyurl.com/VGALapplication.