Like so many children in his position, Anthony at the age of 11 wondered if he was somehow to blame when he says he started getting hurt at home.
“I was abused by my father and that was really tough. I thought was this something that I did or is it my Dad’s fault?" he said. "It took me a while to realize it wasn’t my fault.”
Anthony became one of the staggering number of 5,000 children in San Diego County yearly who are removed from homes deemed by as abusive or neglectful and placed in foster care.
But Anthony would soon learn about the anguish, challenges and fear which many children experience once in foster care -- problems not often publicized. It began at a San Diego emergency shelter for abused and neglected children where Anthony was placed.
“When I got there, I was so scared. I didn’t know anybody. There were big gates with barbed wire around it like a jail," he said. "Some of the kids there were crazy and had been there for years. I was so afraid and wondered am I going to be here for years? I just started crying.”
Distraught as he was, Anthony had no way of knowing his future might not be much better if he remained in the foster care system. For all the good intentions and the hard working social workers, lawyers and judges associated with foster care, the system is overburdened, understaffed and broken.
Statistics show that some children are shuffled to more than 20 different homes during their dependency while changing schools. And many of the placements are in group homes run by paid staff, not a family. It adds to the chaos and challenges of kids who have already experienced more than any adult should. It also sets them up for problems.
Statistics show that those who remain in foster care until they “age-out” of the system at 18 have a higher chance of being homeless, turning to gangs or prostitution. Considering most foster kids are 5 years old when they enter foster care, it is the system that can fail them along the way.
But one San Diego organization is changing that. Voices for Children trains every day volunteers to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate or C.A.S.A.. These volunteers have the kid’s back advocating and advising the court (the legal guardian of all foster children) to make sure children have a safe, healthy living environment while pushing to get the kids into a permanent home.
Voices for Children assigned a C.A.S.A. named Daniel Moen to Anthony who had been failed by more than one adult in his life so Anthony was skeptical at first.
Then Anthony, an avid athlete, got to know his advocate Daniel. They bonded over a mutual love of sports.
“I thought he was going to be like an old person and it was going to be weird!" Anthony said. "But he was young, middle aged, really nice and he was sporty so it fit perfectly”
Meanwhile, Daniel started advocating a judge to have Anthony get his wish to live with his Aunt Patti and grandmother. “I didn’t have a voice and he told me that he was going to have people listen to what I’m saying and that was just perfect because I was 12 years old and what is a 12 year old going to do (on his own)?"
The effort paid off. Anthony is now living with his grandma. Best of all, he is happy and thriving. The now 15 year old makes great grades, plays multiple sports at school and is looking forward to attending college in two years.
He has a bright future and he credits his CASA, Daniel, with whom he still keeps in touch, with helping make that possible.
CASAs like Daniel come from all walks of life. No legal background is required and typically only 10 to 15 hours of volunteer time a month can completely transform the life and future of a child like Anthony. CASAs are trained by Voices for Children and supported afterwards by staff.
Voices for Children is considered the most successful organization of its kind in the nation, but they need more volunteers and the money to help the 5,000 foster children in San Diego, many of them waiting for a CASA volunteer.