The odds don’t bode well for the 1,500 children in San Joaquin County that are in foster care.

Based on past history of those in foster care in California:

*Less than 50 percent will graduate from high school.

*Only 50 percent are employed by age 24.

*One on five will be homeless after age 18.

There are 90 people currently volunteering to improve the chances foster children into the system won’t be lumped in those statistics.

They are trained volunteers with CASA — a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

As such they are advocates for foster children.

CASA volunteers act as fact-finders for judges. They provide them with information gathered from documents, social workers, education, medial, and therapy records.

And — most important — they are committed to face-to-face meetings with a  child once a week to establish a trusting relationship.

It is that relationship, according to CASA volunteer recruiter/trainer Dani Daly, that can make a big difference.

“They (the CASA volunteer) can find out things by simply listening to a child that no one else knew,” Daly told the Manteca Rotary during a talk last week at Ernie’s Rendezvous Room.

And it can end up being key to getting them out of the system and reunited with family or put in play a course of action that substantially improves their chances of beating the odds.

One example she pointed to was a 15 year-old who is now reunited with his family in Texas after being in the system for more than five years.

He was placed into the foster system after his mother developed serious drug addiction issues.

The courts — and the rest of the foster system — had no record of any known relatives.

It was because of a trust built by a volunteer working with the teen over the course of time that it was discovered there was family.

The volunteer had asked at one point what he intended to do after he graduated from high school.

When the teen replied “move to Texas.” When the volunteer asked why, they were told because he had family there.

Daly noted being in foster care can be traumatic and scary at times. Many foster children end up being with two different families over the course of a year’s time. As such, they don’t build a lot of trust with their foster families no matter how well-intentioned they might be.

It was because the teen felt comfortable with the CASA volunteer who diligently read all of the reports they were provided that the Texas family connection surfaced.

“Everyone was surprised,” Daly said.

Once it was confirmed, the judge approved a visit in Texas. Within a relatively short period of time, the court awarded custody to his family in Texas and the teen was back on track.

“It happened because a volunteer listened,” Daily said.

There are 90 CASA volunteers who have been trained and assigned foster children.

That leaves 1,400 other foster children, many that may be in need to advocacy.

Studies have shown that children that work with CASA volunteers are:

*more likely to find a permanent home.

*more likely to succeed in school.

*half as likely to re-enter foster care.

*building resilience by having a constant and caring adult presence in their life.

Daly noted that since foster children are often between homes — in most cases at least twice a year — the CASA volunteer becomes the only trusting and caring adult they can count on.

Statistics also show:

*The recommendations of CASA volunteers are accepted by the court 85 percent of the time.

*Foster children with CASA advocates spend 50 percent less time in foster care.

*Some 20 percent more children with a CASA advocate passed all school courses.

For more information about CASA, go to nochildabuse.org or contact Daly at (209) 644-5331.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com