Our Impact
CASA volunteers are screened, comprehensively trained, and supervised by CASA program staff to get to know and advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
CASA volunteers:
- Visit their case children routinely to assess their well-being;
- Check in with teachers, care providers, and biological parents;
- Arrange necessary services for their case children;
- Submit reports to the Court with recommendations on what’s in the child’s best interests.
Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families responds to some 30,000 reports of abuse or neglect each year. In a given month, there are more than 4000 children in care outside of their parents’ homes due to safety concerns. There is a tremendous burden on the State to provide appropriate care and oversight for these children. Given the fiscal climate, resources are limited.
CASA programs ensure better long-term outcomes by providing a consistent adult to be there for a child throughout this unsettling time. The CASA approach represents an ideal public-private partnership: helping the State to safeguard the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect, without increasing the cost of caring for those children.
A child with a CASA Volunteer is:
- More likely to be adopted or have a plan for permanency
- More likely to succeed in school
- Half as likely to re-enter the foster care system
Data show a child with a CASA volunteer advocate leaves the system 25% faster.
