"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them." --Lady Bird Johnson |
Volunteers are the Heart of CASA |
Kansas CASA Association 103 E. 27th, Unit C Hays, KS 67601 (785) 625-3049 (888) CASA191 |
Each year over 500,000 children in the United States are thrust into court through no fault of their own. Some are victims of violence, psychological torment or sexual abuse. Others have been neglected or even abandonded by their own parents. Most of them are frightened and confused. Often these children also become victims of this country's overburdened child welfare system--a complex legal network |
of lawyers, social workers and judges who frequently are too overburdened to give thorough, detailed attention to each child who comes before them. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program was created in 1977 to ensure that the abuse and neglect that these children originally suffered at home doesn't continue as abuse and neglect at the hands of the system. |
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a child in court. Children helped by CASA volunteers include those for whom home placement is being determined in juvenile court. Most of the children are victims of abuse and neglect. |
A Powerful Voice in a Child's Life |