CASA volunteers are screened, comprehensively trained, and supervised by CASA program staff to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children.
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
In 2017, Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families responded to over 30,000 reports of abuse or neglect in the State. In a given month, there are more than 4000 children in care outside of their parents’ homes due to concerns for their safety. There is a tremendous burden on the State to provide appropriate care and oversight for these children. With the economic climate in our State, the resources they’re working with are increasingly limited.
CASA programs ease this burden and ensure better long-term outcomes for children by providing a consistent adult to be there for the child throughout this unsettling time in his or her life. It is an ideal public-private partnership; helping the State to better safeguard the best interests of abused and neglected children while also reducing 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 shows a child with a CASA volunteer advocate leaves the system 25% faster.
