Voices for Children, CASA of Brazos Valley, is a volunteer based program which recruits and trains qualified community members to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children. Every year more than half a million abused and neglected children are in need of safe, permanent, nurturing homes. Our community volunteers are appointed by a district court judge to be the eyes and ears of the court by gathering information, locating potential relative caregivers, advocating for the child's educational, psychological and medical needs, and making recommendations to the court for a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible. Volunteers have the ability to focus on one case at a time and, as such, are uniquely positioned to discover and report factors that determine the child's best interest in a way that overburdened CPS caseworkers typically are not. The CASA volunteer provides stability for the child in a time of constant change, resulting in better grades, less involvement in the juvenile justice system and most importantly, an average of seven fewer months spent in foster care.