Our Impact

CASA

COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES.

Our program and volunteers closely follow the issues affecting our communities children and families. Our program ensures the CASA volunteers have what they need on the ground to serve America's most vulnerable children and youth, including those targeted for sex trafficking, affected by the opioid crisis, living with incarcerated parents, and preparing to age out of the foster care system.

KEY FACTS ABOUT OUR CAUSE

• CASA is unique. It is the only program where judges appoint everyday citizens to speak up for a child's safety and well-being.
• Children assigned to CASA volunteers are victims of abuse and neglect.
• CASA is a national cause with 68,000 volunteers in over 970 locations nationwide. Last year, we served about a quarter million children, about one-third of the over 780,000 children in foster care.
• CASA volunteers come from all walks of life. You do not have to be a lawyer or social worker to volunteer. We welcome volunteers from all cultures, professions, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Roughly half of our volunteers work full-time.
• CASA volunteers are well trained, with no less than 30 hours of training before being assigned to a case. Volunteers are well supported by local CASA program staff with professional backgrounds.
• Judges, attorneys, child welfare workers, and parents overwhelmingly report that volunteers make a difference with the children they serve.

KEY BENEFITS OF CASA ADVOCACY

• Children with a CASA volunteer are half as likely to spend time in long-term foster care, defined as more than three years in care.
• Cases involving a CASA volunteer are more likely to be permanently closed. Fewer than 10% of children with a CASA volunteer re-enter the foster care system.
• CASA volunteers spend most of their volunteer time in contact with a child. They generally handle just one or two cases at a time to give each child's case the sustained, personal attention they deserve. To a child, that means a consistent and caring adult presence.
• CASA advocacy saves taxpayer dollars. If the median length of stay were shortened for children in foster care by just one month, it would result in a national savings of approximately $2.75 billion for taxpayers.