They're imposing: two tall, stocky, serious, professional African American men in dark suits who look suspiciously alike.
They walk into Portsmouth Judicial Center with files in hand, prepared to serve as advocates for their clients.
They're not attorneys. They're not social services employees. They're not social workers. And what they do, they do for free.
Isiah Williams, 47, and his son, Jamarius, 23, are volunteers with the CASA program of the Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court. Their clients are foster children - the young victims of family dysfunction, neglect, abuse or tragedy.
CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a national network of 933 community-based programs that recruit, train and support volunteers who serve as voices for children in the social welfare system.
The Williams men volunteered for the program because they wanted to offer community service that was meaningful to them and that incorporated some of their life experience and skills.
Isiah Williams, a retired Navy military policeman and now a security supervisor, and Jamarius Williams, who is working on a master's degree in social work at Norfolk State University, both have experience working with and mentoring youths.
"My dad found out about CASA and told me to check it out," Jamarius said. "It appealed to me because in my freshman year of college I met a young man in my dorm who had been sexually abused by his stepfather. After hearing his story, I realized that there must be many children who endure abuse and can't speak for themselves."
Before they could serve with CASA, the men had to take a 35-hour training program that included case studies, how to identify child abuse and neglect, the organization's rules, and how to gather information and prepare reports for the court.
They also sat through four hours of court proceedings involving civil, criminal and juvenile cases.
Isiah got his first case last spring, about a month after his training ended. It was a male teen who was in foster care due to abuse in the home.
He visited and talked with his client in his foster home and started a regular dialogue to check on the teen's progress over time. Other meetings sometimes took place in court and at the Department of Social Services.
Isiah interviewed all people relevant in his client's life - parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and teachers - to glean information and prepare a report that would help a judge make informed decisions about the child's welfare.
Isiah said his experience as a father and in the Navy where he mentored young people was helpful.
"Some young men - and women - in foster care can have issues outside the home too, like at school. Often there's a correlation," said Isiah, whose own father is now a recovered alcoholic that didn't always make life easy for him growing up.
"Sometimes they tell you one thing, but your instincts tell you something else. My job is to get at the truth so they get the care and services they need."
CASA volunteers often have more in-depth relationships with their clients than social services case workers, but maintaining appropriate boundaries in the relationship is critical to the program's success, said Susan Fincke, executive director of Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court.
Fincke's office also oversees two other programs: the Community Service Program for children sentenced to community service; and Transportation Motivating Change, which offers transportation services for families to visit their incarcerated children.
"The role of the CASA volunteer is not to be a friend, but to be an advocate," she said. "That's important in order to maintain objectivity."
CASA volunteers are rigidly vetted, Fincke said. In addition to an initial phone screening, they undergo criminal background, sex offender registry, DMV and reference checks. Eligible candidates also must be at least 21 years old, take 12 hours of continuing education annually and commit to the program for at least one year.
Currently, the Portsmouth CASA program has 18 volunteers - three men and 15 women - but needs more, especially men, said CASA coordinator Melvina Snead.
"We welcome all volunteers, but especially for the teenage boys, it's good for them to have a male role model, and we don't have enough male volunteers," Snead said. "It's a joy to have Isiah and Jamarius on board. You wouldn't know they were volunteers because of the time and interest they devote to the program. They are very dedicated."
Father and son said they each put in an average of six hours to the program each week. Sometimes, Portsmouth children are placed in foster care in other Hampton Roads cities, so travel can be involved.
"You've gotta have a passion for kids to do this work," Isiah said.
"And persistence, patience, tolerance and a drive to want to help," Jamarius added.
Isiah and Jamarius share more than DNA - they each are advocating for different siblings from the same family.
Isiah's clients are ages 2 to 16 and Jamarius is working with two toddlers.
"The little ones are so very, very innocent," Isiah said. "It's important to reach out to them because they're very impressionable at that age."
"All children need that constant love and attention to reinforce them," Jamarius said. "I feel like I'm making a difference in their lives and helping them also has a positive impact on my life."
Lia Russell, 222-5562, lia.russell@pilotonline.com
want to volunteer?
What CASA program of the Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court
Where Office is in Portsmouth Judicial Center, 1345 Court St.
Hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Info Call 397-2799 or visit www.fopjc.org.