CASA volunteers step in as child abuse cases strain Calhoun County system

Editor’s note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave’s On the Ground Battle Creek series.

A black eye on a child resulting from abuse will fade in a month, but not in a week, says Rob Miller, Executive Director of Michigan CASA of Calhoun County.

The opportunity to meet with that child every week, he says, is a critical part of the work done by CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers to ensure their ongoing safety and well-being while they remain a ward of the court in the state’s child welfare system.

The majority of these children remain in their homes while their cases are active due to a shortage of available foster care options. In Calhoun County, as of the end of 2025, there were about 500 children whose cases were winding their way through the courts, and only 180 foster care beds were available.

“This means those not in foster care are potentially living at home with their abusers,” Miller says. “The Judge may have required the mother to go to parenting classes and mental health classes, and this is occurring, but the child is still in that situation. The kid may still be in danger. That’s why CASA is there to monitor the progress of the home for that child. We make sure we have weekly interactions with these kids.”

With Calhoun County having the second-highest rates of childhood abuse and neglect cases per capita in Michigan, Rob Miller says, “We really need the community to say we need CASA for our children.”

As wards of the court, they are under the court’s legal guardianship, and the court has an active role in protecting them.

“It can be intimidating as an adult to go to court. A kid doesn’t have any idea about what’s happening to them,” says Josita Todd, Board President for CASA Calhoun County.

Each ward of the court is assigned a caseworker with Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

“Many times, a caseworker has 24 cases a month and may only see each child they work with once a month,” he says.

While MDHHS aims for a caseload of no more than 12 to 15 cases per Child Protective Services worker/caseworker, these employees often report managing significantly higher loads, frequently juggling 30 to 40 cases at once in understaffed regions like Wayne County, according to a story on WXYZ.

It’s an issue of supply and demand, says Josita Todd, Board President for CASA Calhoun County.

“I talk to these caseworkers. They’re so passionate and caring, and they’re doing things out of their own pocket to help these kids,” she says.

A $150,000 grant from the State of Michigan provided start-up funding for the local operation. This amount will be reduced to $75,000 in 2027. To ensure the continuity of the program, a Gala fundraiser is taking place on April 24 from 6-9 pm at the Record Box in downtown Battle Creek.

“Everybody in the system is there because they want to love and support the kids. As state funding cuts happen, they expect these workers to do more,” Miller says.

The relationship between CASA volunteers and caseworkers is one of collaboration.

“It’s not like we’re going to be stepping on toes. We’re providing more information about the welfare of the child,” Todd says.

This connection was solidified in March when Calhoun County became the 30th county in Michigan to offer a CASA program. The nonprofit entity is headquartered at 32 West Michigan Ave.

A $150,000 grant from the State of Michigan provided start-up funding for the local operation. This amount will be reduced to $75,000 in 2027. To ensure the continuity of the program, a Gala fundraiser is taking place on April 24 from 6-9 pm at the Record Box in downtown Battle Creek.

With Calhoun County having the second-highest rates of childhood abuse and neglect cases per capita in Michigan, Miller says, “We really need the community to say we need CASA for our children.”

A need recognized

The process to establish a CASA presence in the County began in 2023 with a feasibility study conducted by Michigan CASA. At the same time, Todd, who was born and raised in Battle Creek, emerged as a champion for the establishment of the local program. While pushing the initiative forward, she became a CASA volunteer in Kalamazoo County because the program did not yet exist in Calhoun County and served on the state organization’s board of directors.

“I know my community enough to know that if they’re aware of the number of abused and neglected children in the community, we could come together and do something about it. The reality is this stuff is pretty hidden, and people aren’t aware of the level of crimes against children in the community,” Todd says.

The welfare of children became her focus after retiring 15 years ago as Chief Information Officer (CIO) with Johnson & Johnson.

“One of my desires was to work in nonprofits that serviced children who had needs. I’d been the head of education services for child trafficking before coming back to Battle Creek to care for my mother.”

“I know my community enough to know that if they’re aware of the number of abused and neglected children in the community, we could come together and do something about it. The reality is this stuff is pretty hidden, and people aren’t aware of the level of crimes against children in the community.” — Josita Todd, Board President for CASA Calhoun County

In her volunteer CASA role, she says, “We get the worst of the worst cases,” focusing exclusively on abuse and neglect or child trafficking at various levels of severity.

Almost two years ago, she was a CASA volunteer for a one-month-old child who suffered a fractured skull and three rib fractures at the hands of his abuser. That infant had four surgeries in Grand Rapids, and Todd traveled there to be with him for each one.

This is not the norm with the majority of a CASA’s work focused on those weekly visits with the child they’re matched with and attending scheduled court proceedings with them in-person or together virtually to advocate for the needs of that child, who typically ranges in age from infancy to 17 years old.

Finding the Helpers

A group of 10 Calhoun County residents is now undergoing training offered through Michigan CASA to take on their volunteer roles. Using best practices, the 30-hour training walks them through court procedures; how to write and submit weekly reports about the child they’ve been assigned; and how to avoid experiencing second-hand trauma or deal with intergenerational trauma by setting their own biases aside.

The CASA volunteers will meet monthly to review their cases and provide support to one another, Todd says.

The time commitment to the child they are assigned is about two hours per week.

The assignments are made by Judge Tina Yost Johnson with the 37th Circuit Court, who presides over cases in the court’s Family Division. She works in conjunction with four Guardian Ad Litems to make these decisions

Of Yost, Miller says she is very passionate and a wonderful advocate.

“She will present us with cases, and the CASA’s will have an opportunity to look through them and find the ones that are best for them. There may be parts of a case which may be traumatic for them to go through. We may not want them to work a specific case if they were victims of abuse or assault. There are multiple opportunities for them to find a case where they can be especially effective.”

The length of time to resolve a case depends on many factors, including the severity of the abuse and neglect. Throughout the process, the CASA volunteer is there to represent and convey the child’s wishes.

Miller says the CASA worker may be the only consistent adult presence in a child’s life. Their role as advocate wraps up with the case, but he says he’s heard that a lot of CASA’s keep in touch with their kids.

“Our hope is to be able to eventually provide a CASA for every child who comes to court,” he says.

The overarching goal is to have that child in a permanent and loving home, which could involve adoption.

“We want to set them up for success with somebody who wants them and is willing to love on them and be there for them,” Miller says. “Our long-term goal is that we hope our services will no longer needed and that we’ll no longer be the second highest in Michigan for child abuse and neglect cases, and that caseworkers have manageable workloads.”

Tickets for the Gala are $75 each. Go here to reserve tickets and submit payment by check, credit, or debit card. Checks can be mailed to CASA of Calhoun County, 32 W. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49017, and should include your return address, name, and the number of tickets reserved.