CASA's (Court
Appointed Special Advocates) are trained
volunteers from the community who speak up
for the best interests of children in the
courtroom. Children helped by CASA
volunteers include those for whom home
placement is being determined in the
juvenile court. Most of the children are
victims of abuse and neglect.
CASA's are
appointed to a case by the judge and the
volunteer's goal is to provide a carefully
researched background of the child to help
the court make a sound decision about the
child's future. Each home placement case is
as unique as the child involved. The CASA
volunteer must determine if it is in a
child's best interests to stay with his or
her parents or guardians, be placed in
foster care, or be freed for permanent
adoption. The CASA volunteer makes a
recommendation on placement to the judge,
and follows through on the case until it is
permanently resolved. They remain assigned
to a child for the life of the case and are
often the only stable factor in what can be
a frightening and difficult ordeal of trials
and placements for a child in the court
system.
CASA Connection began
providing Platte and Colfax counties with advocate
volunteers to juvenile court in 1992. The program
then expanded to Butler county in 2000.
