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About CAsa
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. Our mission is to provide volunteer advocacy within the court system and the community on behalf of children in the foster care system who have experienced abuse and neglect. We are committed to serving every child we can, regardless of race, background, or identity, because we believe every child deserves a safe, supportive, and permanent home where they can thrive.
Our volunteers undergo extensive training on trauma, child development, child welfare, advocacy, DEI, and the court system. Volunteers are matched with a supervisory staff who provides ongoing mentorship and support. They are then sworn in as court officers and intentionally matched with a child or sibling group, whom they meet weekly for the entire court case. Volunteers receive a court order that gives them access to all information pertaining to the child. This is unique to this position, as no other role entrusts volunteers or paid individuals outside of the child welfare system.
Our volunteers undergo extensive training on trauma, child development, child welfare, advocacy, DEI, and the court system. Volunteers are matched with a supervisory staff who provides ongoing mentorship and support. They are then sworn in as court officers and intentionally matched with a child or sibling group, whom they meet weekly for the entire court case. Volunteers receive a court order that gives them access to all information pertaining to the child. This is unique to this position, as no other role entrusts volunteers or paid individuals outside of the child welfare system.
WHAT DO WE DO?We are court-appointed special advocates (CASA) trained under a national model to provide person-first, trauma and culturally informed advocacy. CASA volunteers are often the only consistent adults or professionals in a child's life. They show up weekly for the children they advocate for!
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Why do we do it?Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to graduate high school and receive the educational support they need. They are more likely to receive support services like therapy, and above all they are less likely to come back into care - reducing the cycle of child neglect and abuse.
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Help Us Grow!CASA needs community volunteers like you to advocate for children! We give you the tools - you bring the heart.
CASA needs community volunteers to support our Board and committees! CASA needs community supporters like you to financially support our mission! |
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Court Appointed Special Advocates for CHildren
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CASA for Kids Inc., located in Michigan's Barry, Eaton, and Ingham counties, offers highly trained volunteers who will serve as advocates for children under court jurisdiction due to abuse and neglect. These volunteers, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, work closely with the Court and child welfare agencies to secure necessary services for the children and place them in a secure and caring permanent home. CASA is assigned each new case that falls under court jurisdiction and provided compassionate advocacy to around 100 children in the previous year.
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