What to know about switch to Kids' Voice for child court-appointed advocacy services

Marion County has a new provider of court-appointed advocacy services for children impacted by the welfare and justice systems.

In late April, the city's Office of Public Health and Safety announced it would award its contract for court-appointed special advocacy services to Kids' Voice of Indiana, allowing its longstanding contract with Child Advocates to expire.

For a while, it appeared there may be a subcontract between Kids' Voice and Child Advocates that would essentially leave Child Advocates as the primary service provider, but Kids' Voice providing oversight. That's no longer the case, and Kids' Voice assumed the CASA contract May 1.

Previous reporting: 'Chronic, substantial cost overruns' influenced change in Marion Co. CASA contract, city says

Here's what you need to know about the switch.

What's a CASA?

Court-appointed special advocates, called CASAs, are trained volunteers who help children impacted by the welfare or justice systems navigate the judicial process, serving as their adult eyes and ears and mentors who can help them access needed services.

What's a GAL?

Guardians ad-litem, or GALs, are volunteer investigators appointed by the court to represent a child's best interest in family court cases, typically involving divorce, custody and adoption cases. Sometimes, but not always, GALs are trained lawyers or mental health professionals.

Why did Child Advocates lose its contract?

Child Advocates had performed CASA services in Marion County courts since the 1980s. The city's decision to allow the contract to expire was influenced by an external assessment of the organization's finances and reporting to the Office of Public Health and Safety.

The contract, which was originally held by Marion Superior Courts, was transferred to OPHS in 2019, "to avoid the appearance of partiality by the judiciary," a courts spokeswoman said. A city spokeswoman told IndyStar there were concerns from the beginning regarding Child Advocate's expenses and processes. When the 2020 contract was signed, it was done with the understanding that OPHS wanted it examined by an outside firm. The contract, originally $5.4 million, has been renegotiated twice, adding another $3 million in funding.

An outside assessment by Crowe LLP outlined several major observations regarding insufficient record-keeping by both OPHS and Child Advocates, including insufficient justification for expenditures for services provided.

How many children does this affect?

In its 2020 annual report, Child Advocates said it served over 6,100 children who had experienced abuse and/or neglect. Statewide, over 23,600 children in 88 counties were served last year, according to the Indiana CASA/GAL office.

Is Child Advocates subcontracting with Kids' Voice?

No. When the city announced it would allow its contract with Child Advocates to expire in favor of a new arrangement with Kids' Voice, it preemptively OK'd a subcontracting arrangement that would allow Child Advocates employees and volunteers to remain in their positions while Kids' Voice managed the implementation of services.

After signing a memorandum of understanding — a sign they were likely to reach an agreement — Child Advocates backed out of negotiations.

What are the terms of the Kids' Voice contract?

The contract, which extends through the end of 2023, awards Kids' Voice $5.4 million for the remainder of 2021, with the possibility of an extra $400,000, if needed. Proposed budgets for 2022 onward will be submitted to the city no later than October 1.

Is Kids' Voice certified to perform CASA services?

The short answer: no, and they don't need to be certified to perform services. They need to be certified to access certain funding. After the city made its announcement, Child Advocates raised concerns that Kids' Voice didn't have the same certifications their organization did to provide CASA services.

The certification through the state's CASA/GAL office is tied to grant funding provided to the county courts, according to Indiana Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathryn Dolan. Kids' Voice would be able to provide those services, but would not have access to that grant funding until certified.

Kids' Voice President and CEO Lindsay Scott told IndyStar she hopes the certification process will be complete by the end of May.

I'm a CASA with Child Advocates and want to continue volunteering with Kids' Voice. How do I make sure they have my information?

If you're a CASA volunteer with Child Advocates and would like to continue doing that work as a Kids' Voice volunteer, fill out this Google sheet: bit.ly/2PSo6Re. Kids' Voice said their goal is to keep volunteers on the same cases, with the same children, under the same GAL, if possible.

I'm interested in becoming a CASA/GAL. How do I get involved?

To learn more about how you can volunteer with Kids' Voice, visit kidsvoicein.org/get-involved/be-a-voice-for-kids.

You can reach IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What to know about switch to Kids' Voice for child court-appointed advocacy services

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