FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Thursday, February 24, six new Court Appointed Special Advocates will be sworn-in at the Allen County Courthouse Rotunda by Magistrate Beth Webber. The newest class of CASA volunteers recently completed a six-week/30-hour training program.
These individuals have a heart for children in our community and want to make sure that abused and neglected children do not get lost in the court system. They will join a team of more than 160 advocates who provide a voice for children who have been abused and/or neglected. Essentially, CASA volunteers “speak up” for these children in the court and child welfare systems, making sure they are safe and well cared for, are getting the services they need and are placed in a permanent, safe, nurturing home as quickly as possible by making recommendations to the court.
The following was issued by Allen County Superior Court:
“CASA volunteers don’t require any specific educational or professional background. Our current class had a variety of voices: two nurses, a student, a retired teacher, three customer service representatives, a disability champion and a vet tech. We search for volunteers who have compassion, objectivity, and a few hours a month to visit a child. We’ll train and supervise them to be effective voices in court,” says Mell Depew, Recruitment and Training Coordinator for Allen County Office of GAL/CASA. “Our volunteers come from all walks of life, and diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. They are ordinary individuals who rise to the extraordinary by making a difference in the life of a child.”
Glaucia Germano who hails from South America had this to say about becoming a CASA volunteer. “I believe that we need to take care of our children because they are the future of our society”. Growing up in Brazil, Glaucia saw firsthand through her work with in a lawyer’s office the importance of giving back and taking care of children in need.
Magistrate Beth A. Webber took the bench in the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division on July 12, 2021. As Magistrate, she hears a variety of family cases, including Children In Need of Services (CHINS), domestic relations and adoption matters. Webber was a solo practitioner in Fort Wayne, focusing on representing children in child abuse and neglect cases, divorce, Guardian Ad Litem and other matters, before being appointed Magistrate. Magistrate Webber graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University in 1992 and graduated from the Indiana University (Bloomington) School of Law in 1995. She was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1995. Webber began her legal career as a general practice attorney in Fort Wayne in October 1995. She has also served as an assistant professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (now Purdue University Fort Wayne), and as adjunct faculty at Ivy Tech and the University of St. Francis. She taught business law, criminal law, juvenile justice, wills, paralegal studies and the legal aspects of social work. `2004, she co-founded the not-for-profit Northeast Indiana Center for Child Advocacy (later known as Kids’ Law), established to represent children in child abuse and neglect, delinquency, paternity and divorce cases. She served as a volunteer advocate for the Allen County CASA program. Before becoming Magistrate, Webber was already experienced in overseeing court proceedings, having served as a Judge Pro Tempore in Superior Court’s Family Relations Division many times during her career. Magistrate Webber is a member of the Lutheran Foundation Board of Directors and a past member of the Concordia Lutheran Church and School Board of Directors. She is a past member of the Right Relations Advisory Board, the Child Life Center advisory board, a past volunteer consultant for Junior Achievement and a past member of the United Way’s Success By 6 program committee.
Anyone interested in becoming an advocate for children should contact Mell Depew, Recruitment and Training Coordinator, at (260) 449-7190 or go to the Allen County CASA website
