Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Child advocate Brittin Hilyard meets with a juvenile court judge.

Children at Risk

Youngsters run the risk of falling through the cracks of an overworked judicial system

By Michelle Gabriel

The 12-year-old girl sat alone on a hard wooden bench outside the courtroom. She nervously twisted her sweater as a police matron stood nearby. The girl was not a felon. She was not a criminal. She was just a child caught up in the juvenile court system because she had been abused by her parents. Now a group of lawyers, social workers and judges would determine her fate.

This is not an isolated case. According to statistics there are approximately three million children nationwide who are reported abused and neglected each year. Many of them fall through the cracks of an overworked judicial system. Others are returned to unsafe environments, kept in shelters or shuttled between one foster home and another. A few lucky ones find support, comfort and guidance from caring volunteers who remain by their sides throughout lengthy legal proceedings, advocating their rights and their best interests.

These volunteers are child advocates, part of the Seattle-based nonprofit National Court Appointed Special Advocate organization, which assists children in dependency court by matching them with an adult who stands up for them through the judicial process.

The slogan for the organization, "Speak Up for a Child," is appropriate. Working with attorneys and social workers to review case records, talking to parents, teachers, and family members, as well as the child and his or her family, child advocates speak up for a child by presenting recommendations to judges on what ultimately is best for the child.

"Sometimes an advocate is the only person who offers a continuity in the child's life," says Saratogan Carol Quackenbush, a child advocate since 1989. "Judges change, social workers change, and these children might not see their parents for long stretches of time, but no matter what, advocates are there for them."

Nora Manchester, executive director of the Child Advocates of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, reports that there are 502 volunteers now serving the needs of 782 children, from birth to 18 years old. More than 200 children remain on a waiting list.

That translates into many children going through a complicated and frustrating legal system, frequently without any support person at their side.

Quackenbush was an advocate for one girl for several years before the case was transferred to another county. Currently working with a 14-year-old boy who has severe emotional problems, she also serves as a mentor to eight other child advocates, helping them through the training process and troubleshooting when necessary.

"Being a child advocate is the most worthwhile thing I've ever done as a volunteer," says Quackenbush, whose background includes years of volunteer work fundraising for local child-related nonprofit organizations. "I feel I am making a real impact in the lives of these children."

Quackenbush is not alone in that feeling. Volunteers from all over the county echo her sentiments.

Stephanie Rynas, manager of corporate planning for California Eastern Laboratories in Santa Clara, says she believes she is a positive influence and can help these children get fair treatment in a system that has too many children to worry about and too many bureaucratic problems.

Currently working with a young boy, Rynas says much of their time together outside the judicial system is spent in a range of activities, including playing cards, attending sporting events, bowling or going to the movies. "What will make a difference to this young child five years from now is the encouragement he receives from me and our time together," she says.

That is one of the rewards advocates savor. "Knowing you have helped make a difference in the life of a child, especially one who has had far too many traumas for one lifetime, is a very enriching experience," Quackenbush says.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to establish a one-on-one relationship with a young person," adds Anne Cummins, a Saratoga real estate agent with Cornish and Carey Realtors. Having recently completed her training, Cummins is eager to put her experience to good use. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I hope to be able to provide a stable influence in her life."

Although Cummins puts in 40 to 60 hours a week as a Realtor, she intends to give as much time as she can to taking her child, an 11-year-old girl, on bike rides, walks or to the library. "I'd like to offer opportunities she might not have had before, but as to specific activities, I guess we'll just play it by ear and see what interests her."

While the social interaction is a highly rewarding component of the program, child advocates also point out the importance of an advocate's impact on a court's decision regarding the child. "The court pays attention to what advocates have to say," says Quackenbush. "Since social workers are busy, advocates, who spend more time with the child and get a good handle on that child's life, find that their recommendations to the court are taken seriously."

More than three-quarters of the advocates locally are women, although that ratio appears to be changing, with more men coming aboard to fill the void. Still, more male advocates are needed. "So many boys are in the system," says Quackenbush. "It would be nice for them to have positive male role models in their lives."

Experience, or lack of it, need not be a deterrent. A seven-week intensive training program covers courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system and the special needs of abused and neglected children. Judges, therapists, foster parents and veteran child advocates provide their expertise on relevant topics. After completing the training sessions, child advocates are finger printed, assigned a supervisor and officially appointed by a judge to speak up for children in court.

With the supervisor's help, advocates discuss any preferences as to the age or sex of the child or to the location and temporary placement of the youngster (court-supervised home stay, foster home, or shelter). Case files, selected with these preferences in mind, are given to advocates, who then choose the child they feel they can best serve.

For Sue Propeck, another Saratoga volunteer, the choice was easy. An advocate for two years, she remembers bonding immediately with a 14-year-old girl who had been in the system for some time. "Having two teenage daughters, I didn't think I wanted to select a teenager, but that's exactly what I did and it was a perfect match."

Propeck kept her first meeting with the girl, whom she described as shy but curious, low-key. "We went to the mall for a bite to eat, and I tried not to ask too many questions."

Establishing trust is also crucial to the equation, and Propeck feels she has established that in their relationship. "I'm clearly someone she can trust. She knows I'll be there for her and that no matter what, I'm in her corner."

Last March Propeck took on another child, a 13-year-old girl who had already been in a number of foster homes and was back in the shelter. "This is one of those cases that will not have a happy ending. She is going through a lengthy court case, and it is a matter of deciding what course of action to take that will cause the least harm for her in the long run. It is frustrating at times, but never to the point where I would walk away from it."

If frustration is part of the price for what advocates say is an enriching experience, then these volunteers are indeed enriched.

"The bottom line," says Propeck, a stay-at-home mom for over 20 years, "is that these are still just kids. It's only by chance of birth that they've been through what they've experienced. Like all children, they deserve our help and our support through tough times."