Public Service: Katie Wiehl

Director of Legal Services, Jackson County CASA

Kansas City

Katie Wiehl, a guardian ad litem with Jackson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), didn’t always know she wanted to work in advocacy, but felt like a law degree was the best way to create change. 

Wiehls mission with CASA is to provide legal representation for children in dependency proceedings. 

“We walk with them and make sure that we can amplify their voice in court, so that the court can make good decisions about what’s best for them, and hopefully we can get them reunited with their families safely,” she said.

Because of the dynamic nature of working in child welfare, Wiehl emphasizes the importance of collaboration at Jackson County CASA. Wiehl works to run and organize monthly meetings with the court engagement team, a group within the organization that gives different agencies and stakeholders a chance to come together to discuss issues that are affecting children, families and the system as a whole. 

“That’s been really meaningful for me,” Wiehl said. “It gives me a lot of energy to be able to see change happening, and to get people to agree where we can improve so that we are doing better by our kids and families.”

Though working in child welfare can be heavy, Wiehl said the favorite part of her job is getting to interact with the children and their families. 

“Given that we’re dealing with abuse and neglect, there’s a lot of sadness, but there’s also a lot of growth, hope and resiliency,” she said.

Wiehl’s hope for the future of the child welfare system is that all parties have quality legal representation and that stakeholders use best practices and collaboration to ensure that kids and families get what they need. 

“My larger goal is that through our advocacy and educational opportunities for volunteers, attorneys and stakeholders, that we can educate the community on the needs of the families that interact with the system so that our community can be more responsive to their needs and intervene before abuse and neglect occurs,” Wiehl said.