Court Appointed Special Advocate
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A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is an association that independently investigates the case of an abused or neglected child at the request of a family court. Based on this investigation, a trained CASA volunteer advocates for the child's best interest, generally emphasizing safety and stability for the child's home. The end goal is to have the child in a safe environment and reunited with their families if possible. CASA hopes that one day they will have enough volunteers so that every abused child in need of an advocate has one.
CASA receives some funding from the government, specifically the United States Department of Justice has supported CASA through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Office of Victims of Crime. However, CASA receives almost all of its funding from private donations and private foundations which include: The Goizueta Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundations, Freddie Mac Foundation, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, OneFamily Foundation, The Stuart Foundation and the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Approximately 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to making the CASA program work.
In 1976, Judge David Sukoup of Seattle, WA formulated an idea that became an integral part of today's family court process. The National CASA Training Manual states that Judge Sukoup was hearing Family court cases, Civil and Criminal cases all in a day. Judge Sukoup had only the information provided by the state agency with which to make paramount decision on the best interest of a child. The Judge formed a group of trained community volunteers to make independent recommendations to the family court regarding the best interest of a child.
Each attorney in a family court proceeding represents what their client's wishes are. Most children of abuse wish to return home, even though that may not be in their best interest. The state child protection agency, represented by the Assistant District Attorney, has to prove there has been child abuse. Once abuse is determined to be a factor in the home, it is the state agency's responsibility to "reunify" the family. This can be financially draining on state budgets, which tends to steer the state to rush the process. Again, the state child protection agency advocates for the family as a whole. A CASA has no alterior motive, is not paid, therefore, can make independent recommendations to the court strictly regarding best interest of a child.
