Our Mission

Why CASA Is Needed

Director's Note

Our Program Goal

Quick Program Overview

Our Staff

An Historical Look

Bay Area CASA Programs

The goal of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program is to prevent abused and neglected children form becoming lost in the Juvenile Dependency system. The objective of appointing a CASA Volunteer, a trained advocate from the community, is to ensure that the child's best interest is represented.

The program receives referrals directly from the Juvenile Court. CASA's are matched to the child and provide approximately 10-12 hours of service per month of casework. After reviewing the case information, the volunteer consults with the program staff to develop a case plan. Prior to each court hearing, the volunteer prepares a court report which includes evaluations and recommendations for the child. The Juvenile Court judge reads and considers the CASA report in addition to the social worker's report prior to making his decision. Volunteers attend all appointed volunteer is carefully screened and receives 30 hours of expert training in skills necessary to fulfill his or her responsibilities.

CASA volunteers are in a unique position because they can provide information not usually available to the Juvenile Court. Because of the growing number of cases filed in Juvenile Court and overburdened resources to adequately serve these cases, judges find the CASA volunteers' reports to be positive complements to the information necessary to make well-informed decisions.

In addition to our services to abused and neglected children, the CASA program works to provide community education concerning the issue of child abuse, neglect and child welfare policy. We are also committed to working toward public policies that promote child abuse prevention and to addressing reforms in the Juvenile Dependency/Foster Care system.