TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A program advocating for abused or neglected children in southern Idaho says there are too many cases for volunteers to handle.

The Twin Falls Times-News reported there are only 67 trained volunteer advocates in the region’s Court Appointed Special Advocates program.

But 525 children from the region surrounding Twin Falls were abused or neglected so badly in 2012 they had to be removed from their homes. Currently, there are more than 100 children without a volunteer.

The same is true in other regions, said Stacy McAlevy, director of the 7th Judicial District’s CASA program in Idaho Falls. During fiscal year 2013, 740 kids in Idaho went without a CASA volunteer, though another 1,648 children did have the help of a volunteer.

“So if we could recruit and train 250 more people statewide this next fiscal year, that would get us to where we need to be,” with all children in state care matched to a CASA volunteer, McAlevy said.

The number of CASA volunteers has been growing statewide, according to numbers from the Idaho Supreme Court. During fiscal year 2012, there were 575 CASA volunteers — an increase of 10 percent from the previous year and 63 percent since 2008. Last year, those volunteers spent 30,000 hours advocating for more than 2,700 kids in foster care, according to the Idaho Supreme Court, doing the equivalent of more than 14 full-time workers.

The increase in volunteers doesn’t mean the need is met, however.

“I have more than 100 kids that don’t have a CASA volunteer appointed to them right now,” said Tahna Barton, director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates program for the Twin Falls region. “I have so many people that don’t think we need volunteers because we don’t have a lot of abuse going on. Really, what they need to know is that it does exist and there is a need.”

A CASA volunteer’s main role is to advocate for a child’s best interests in court. Without an advocate, children are more likely to be locked up or bounced from home to home, she said.

“A lot of people underestimate themselves. They don’t think they’re good enough or they’re smart enough or they have enough education,” Barton said. “We highly screen our volunteers, but what we need more than anything is sound-minded individuals that understand children and know what’s best for a child. And if you have that foundation, the training for everything else is there.”

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Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com