DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. -- The Delaware County Courthouse has hired a new officer. The four-legged member of the Court Appointed Special Advocate Team (CASA) will help children who are the victims of neglect and abused.
Frankie is a 21-month-old black Labrador. She’s one of only two dogs in the state of Indiana that are trained to help children in these situations.
Frankie has spent the last 45 days in intensive training with her handler, Ashley Soldaat, Director for Delaware County CASA.
In 2016, more than 500 children went through the system in Delaware County.
“Frankie will be a sense of support and comfort for (children),” said Soldaat.
Frankie’s job will entail attending juvenile court hearings and interviews to offer physical and emotional support to children when they need it most. She even has a badge.
“In addition to court, she is also going to be with them during forensic interviews when they disclose abuse,” said Soldaat. “She is going to be by their side to make sure they have courage during the process.”
Forensic interviewer Gail Baker said Frankie’s job would be to help the kids focus and, hopefully, open up about what happened.
“A lot of times they are very distracted, they are bouncing around the room,” said Baker. “This will be good for them to chill out and focus.”
From now on, every child that is a ward of the state of Indiana will have Frankie by their side.
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