CASA of River Valley, an organization that advocates for children going through the court system, has opened up a new location on the second floor of Morris Building & Loan, 211 E. Jefferson St.

CASA is short for court-appointed special advocates. Program Director Melanie Buhle said the organization typically works out of courthouses, going to court for the kids and advocating for their best interests.

The new space has spaces for children ages infant to teen, separate spaces for each. The rooms have toys, books, couches, and sitting areas. There will also be a sensory-friendly space for neurodivergent kids, one of the only sensory-friendly visitation spaces in Northern Illinois.

“Sometimes, these visits are two to four hours, and if parents have multiple little kids, it gets hard to wrangle them for that long period of time and keep them calm,” Buhle said.

There will also be arts and crafts for the kids, though those will stay locked up in the closet: Buhle said not every parent wants their kids making a mess.

Buhle said the organization noticed a need in Grundy County for a proper visitation space. Right now, DCFS-involved families end up meeting for supervised visitation in fast food restaurants or libraries.

“We just want to keep all of the visits interesting,” Buhle said. “It gives parents a chance to mix up what they’re doing with their kids during visits. So, each visit is fun.”

She said CASA also takes the chance to talk to kids alone so they can speak freely about what they’d like to happen in their cases. Buhle said DCFS typically leaves kids at home with their families, which means kids may not have a safe space at home to talk one-on-one where they’ll feel comfortable.

Buhle said the next step for CASA of River Valley is to bring parenting classes to their new space because parents currently have to go outside of Grundy County to attend parenting classes. Grundy County also needs drug testing space.

Buhle said one of the misconceptions around DCFS is that it tries to tear families apart. The goal, Buhle said, is to keep families together whenever possible, and help them reunite when it’s not possible to keep them together.

“They’re leaving more kids in the home with the parents and trying to provide services through the home because there’s a lack of foster parents,” said Executive Director Rita Facchina.

Facchina said there’s always a need for volunteers in Grundy county, as well. To volunteer, visit https://casaofrivervalley.org/volunteer/.

“Even though we represent the best interests of the child, if the parents have questions or concerns, they can always come to CASA,” Buhle said. “We take those concerns very seriously.”

To donate to CASA of River Valley, visit https://casaofrivervalley.org/donate/.