Home
En Espaņol
THE NEED
More than 500,000 children live in foster care in the United States.
These children were abused or neglected and then removed from their
families and the place they called home. Sadly, many can become a victim
a second time in an overwhelmed child welfare system that does not allow
for close attention to each child and their needs or wants.
Each day in California, 70 children
who have been abused or neglected join the state's population of nearly
80,000 children in foster care. California is home to nearly one-fifth
of all foster children in the United States. As dependents of the
juvenile court, these children pass through a court system which can
leave them frightened, confused and alone.
CASA's PART
OF THE SOLUTION
Across California, thousands of volunteer Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASAs) build close relationships with and serve as one-on-one
advocates for children in foster care. Over 40 CASA programs in
California recruit and specially train these volunteers from the
community, who are then appointed as advocates by a juvenile court.
CASA volunteers commit to spending at
least one year: 1) establishing a strong, stable connection with a child
in foster care, 2) gathering information and making recommendations to
the court about the child's best interest, and 3) advocating to make
sure the child receives needed services. Too often, a CASA volunteer is
the only consistent adult in the life of the child.
THE SUPPORT
The California CASA Association (CalCASA) optimizes the ability of
local CASA programs to serve abused and neglected children. We
improve the scope, quality and impact of CASA advocacy by strengthening
local programs, promoting improvements in advocacy practices, and
sharing the insights and work of CASA programs and volunteers with
policy and decision makers.
|
