"To give a child a CASA is to give them a voice..." Former foster child, Pamela Butler, perfectly describes the role of Voices for Kids CASA and its dedicated volunteers. Nationally, about 780,000 children a year are unable to safely live in their homes and are placed into foster care as a result of abuse and neglect. For most us, the thought of being ripped from the care of the mother that you love, even though she loved cocaine more than you, or not knowing where your siblings are because there was no foster home willing to take you all, or feeling confused because your mother allowed your father to repeatedly beat his boot print into your back, are thoughts that seem more like a bad movie. However, there are children that live these stories every day.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a child advocacy organization that recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers to speak for these abused and neglected children as they are navigated through the court and child welfare systems. These volunteers are appointed by a judge to investigate the child's situation while they are in foster care, facilitate the meeting of the child's needs, monitor a case to ensure that the court's orders are followed, and write court reports regarding their findings. The CASA volunteer is typically assigned to just one child and stays with that child until they are placed in a safe permanent home. National statistics continue to show that children who are assigned a CASA volunteer receive more services and are placed in permanent homes more quickly than children without the voice of a CASA.