About 3,000 children move through Hamilton County's child protection system each year, and the nonprofit that recruits their courtroom advocates says it needs hundreds more volunteers.

ProKids, the Cincinnati organization that trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocates, wants to double its volunteer base from roughly 300 to 600, Executive Director Tracy Cook told WCPO in a report published Aug. 6. The nonprofit is specifically seeking more men and a more diverse pool of advocates.

Cook noted many children in the system have lacked a consistent male figure in their lives. "We need men. We need women. We need folks of all ages, races, backgrounds," she told WCPO.

Hamilton County has the highest percentage of children in its child protection system among Ohio's largest metro areas, according to ProKids. That caseload has roughly doubled since Cook first volunteered with the organization in the early 1990s.

Cook pointed to persistent childhood poverty, rapidly rising housing costs and lingering effects of the opioid epidemic as drivers. She noted Hamilton County was recently designated as the U.S. community with the highest increase in rental costs.

What CASA volunteers do

CASA volunteers are appointed by Hamilton County Juvenile Court to advocate for children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Each volunteer works alongside a ProKids staff supervisor and attorney, visiting children regularly, gathering information from schools and caregivers, and making recommendations to the court.

The time commitment averages about 10 hours a month per case, with flexible scheduling that can include weekend visits, phone calls and court hearings.

Carmen Schrand, a retired nurse who has volunteered with ProKids for 14 years and advocated for about two dozen children, described the role simply: "You just keep showing up whether they got in trouble at school ... whether they've had a really bad day ... you just keep showing up."

Schrand first learned about the program from an advertisement on a bus stop bench.

A track record and a growing gap

ProKids reports that abuse and neglect ended for 99% of the children whose cases closed last year, a success rate the organization says it has maintained for more than 25 years. But the roughly 300 active volunteers have remained largely unchanged in recent years even as caseloads climb.

The broader pressure on Hamilton County's child welfare system is also showing up at the ballot box. County commissioners voted 2-0 in August to place a 38% property tax increase on the November ballot to fund the Department of Job and Family Services, which serves 13,000 children per year and has seen a 19% increase in children in its care over four years.

How to get involved

The first step is a free, one-hour virtual information session ProKids calls a "Snapshot." No commitment is required. Residents can find upcoming session dates and sign up at prokids.org/volunteer.

ProKids, founded in 1981, is headquartered at 222 West 7th St. in downtown Cincinnati.