Memorandum of Law Court Appointed Special Advocates

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Grand Canyon University *

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Apr 3, 2024

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Whalling Law Group, PLLC 3300 West Lakeview Blvd. Office 221B Phoenix, AZ 85017 Memorandum of Law To: Kevin Whalling, Esq. From: Terry Liddell Date: March 3, 2024 Subject: – Memorandum of Law: Court Appointed Special Advocates – Rachel Deckard Issue Ms. Deckard is an eleven-year-old girl who has been facing abuse both mentally and physically. There is evidence that her Advocates are not well-trained for her case. Facts A Court Appointed Special Advocates are volunteers who advocate for the best interests of the children they are advocates for. Court-appointed Special Advocates’ jobs are to represent the child in court, visit them consistently, and let the child know someone is there for them. They are appointed by judges to help children who are going through abuse and or neglect by being their voice. Court Appointed Special Advocates offer various forms of administration which all primarily focus on the children and their families. Court Appointed Special Advocates protect kids and their families by fighting any type of abuse that they may be going through (Henderson, n.d). The Court Appointed Special Advocate also have assets such as therapy, emotional support dogs and other tools to prevent PTSD. Discussion The Court system has benefited tremendously from the use of Court Appointed Special Advocates as they are the voices of the children they represent and also help the children understand early on how the court system and processes take place. These volunteers are assigned to a house to do checks on how the child is doing (Felix, S. N., Agnich, L. E., & Schueths, A, 2017). This is very similar to the work social workers do. While working the advocates can acquire the skills to better support the child doing what is best for them(Pine Tree Legal Assistance, 2022). Court Appointed Special Advocates are also not limited to working in one section of the court system. Their services are also available to those who are in criminal, adoption, juvenile, and family settings. Conclusion Being a Court Appointed Special Advocate means they are also a part of the bar which would lead one to think that they would be highly educated in the law and how it works. To be a Court Appointed Special Advocate one has to meet all of the qualifications and skills in regards to childhood development. To distinguish signs of child

abuse whether it be physical, mental, or emotional one must develop and acquire the ability to speak. Many children are embarrassed and do not have the knowledge to report the abuse they are facing. Many also are too traumatized by what is happening making them reluctant to report their abuse. When it comes to the training of Court Appointed Special Advocates they should be trained to deal with more applicable issues so they will be better at handling situations. They should also be trained to better communicate and learn more about the people they are working with. Background checks should be done on those who want to be Court Appointed Special Advocates to determine a person’s ability to determine if a situation is safe for a child, history with kids, and age. Citations Felix, S. N., Agnich, L. E., & Schueths, A. (2017, December). An evaluation of a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in the rural south . https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHILDYOUTH.2017.10.025 Pine Tree Legal Assistance. (2022). What is a guardian ad litem? What is a Guardian ad Litem? | Pine Tree Legal Assistance. https://ptla.org/what-guardian-ad-litem . Henderson, J. (n.d). Children’s Advocacy Center Program (CAC). Cas Child Advocacy Services. https://childadv.net/casa Note regarding citations: Be sure to cite three to five relevant scholarly sources in support of your content. Because of the practical limitations of the course, you will not be learning legal citation work such as what would be found in the Bluebook, a citation tool utilized by attorneys. Instead, you will follow APA formatting for citation work. Remember to still cite in your legal memorandum (case law, etc.), and create a separate document for citations .

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