About Coweta CASA
Board of Directors:Bernie Parks Chair Bill Garpow Sandy Lee Robert Wood |
Staff:Traci Corné Executive Director |
CASA is the only national organization of volunteer advocates who have been trained to speak as independent voices in court for children's best interests. The U.S. Department of Justice has recognized CASA as a model program and views it as a "safety net for abused and neglected children."
A Powerful Voice in a Child’s Life ®
Each year, approximately 780,000 children in the US are caught up in the court and child welfare maze because they are unable to live safely at home. Imagine what it would be like to lose your parents, not because of something you did, but because they can’t—or won’t—take care of you. Now, into these children’s lives come dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, therapists, social workers, judges, lawyers, and more. Hopefully, one of these strangers is a CASA volunteer.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. They stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence—the one adult who cares only for them.
Last year, more than 68,000 CASA volunteers served more than 240,000 abused and neglected children through 1,018 program offices. CASA volunteers have helped more than two million abused children since the first program was established in 1977.
What is a CASA?
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained community volunteer appointed by a judge to speak up for the best interests of an abused, neglected or abandoned child involved in a juvenile court deprivation proceeding. Bringing urgency to a child's needs, both in and out of a courtroom, CASA volunteers advocate for safety, permanence and well-being for children through independent recommendations.
