The advocate

Phil Hirsch, a volunteer with the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, mentors, represents children in foster care. Newport Beach resident Phil Hirsch gets bored easily.

He is the chief executive of his own company, teaches part time at Cal State Fullerton, and is a father of two. But all these commitments weren’t quite enough to keep him fully occupied. So two years ago, Hirsch became a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

After sitting on many nonprofit boards and volunteering with the Red Cross, Hirsch wanted to get involved somewhere he could really have one-on-one influence.

With more than 3,000 children in Orange County who are in foster care and the juvenile court system on an average day, a large percentage of them are in need of stable relationships and mentors. Social workers and judges manage multiple cases and rarely have time to focus on a single child. That’s where a special advocate comes in.

The juvenile court appoints volunteers to serve as advocates for children going through court proceedings. The advocates, who also serve as mentors, work with children and represent them in court. They also spend time with the children every week to understand the case and children’s needs.

“There isn’t really one person that is constantly in these kids’ lives,� Hirsch said. “It’s something where a volunteer can make a huge difference in someone’s life.�

Becoming an advocate is not for everyone -- it’s a huge time and emotional commitment, Hirsch said.

The state-mandated training to become an advocate takes 30 hours, and once a person is assigned a case, they are expected to hold on to it for a minimum of two years. They become not only the child’s court advocate but also mentor them and coach them through life’s obstacles.

Hirsch works with older teens, who are usually nearing emancipation.

“They need somebody to step in there and show them that they are capable of succeeding, they are capable of doing it on their own, and then giving them the tools to do so,� said Erin Woolf, community development associate for the special advocates’ Orange County chapter.

Hirsch’s last case, a young man who was getting close to the emancipation process, was a senior in high school when Hirsch became his advocate. He was having trouble with school and was at risk of not graduating.

“We worked really hard getting him through his classes and getting his project done,� Hirsch said, proudly reminiscing about the experience. “He learned about a business and made a presentation to his class on it.�

The young man graduated with his class in the last and earned his high school diploma. Hirsch attended his graduation.

“He [Hirsch] clearly got so much out of being able to do this for the young man he worked with,� Woolf said. “I think Phil had a really big hand in motivating him to consider continuing his education.... I think this guy was real lucky to have Phil in his life.�

Hirsch said the young man had expressed an interest in culinary arts, so he took him to a local school and showed him around, which motivated him to pursue that as a career.

After he was emancipated in September, Hirsch said the young man moved to Colorado to live with his grandfather. But they still stay in contact -- in fact they got together over the holidays to catch up.

“He’s doing very, very well,� Hirsch said, adding that the young man has since enrolled in college. “It’s remarkable the difference from when I first met him to when I saw him a couple of weeks ago.�

Hirsch said he enjoys volunteering as an advocate and plans to continue doing so. He is currently awaiting a new appointment.

“I feel like I’m making a difference,� he said. “It’s a great organization ... one of the most worthwhile organizations I know of and have been involved with.�

For more information about Court Appointed Special Advocate Orange County, visit www.casaoc.org or call (714) 619-5155.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or [email protected].

20060201itzqgxncDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Phil Hirsch volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and helps foster children through the legal system.