The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program commissions trained and qualified community advocates to serve as an effective support in court for children who have experienced abuse or neglect, strengthening efforts to ensure that each child is living in a safe, permanent and nurturing home.
Iowa CASA is affiliated with the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Association for Children, which, together with its state and local members, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so that every child in crisis can be safe, establish permanence and have the opportunity to thrive.
In communities all across Iowa, there are children who have experienced abuse or neglect. They need someone to stand up for them ... someone who will be in their corner no matter what.
They have been removed from their homes and put under the supervision of the court system and the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) because their homes aren’t safe, their parents not capable of caring for them due to substance abuse, mental health problems or incarceration.
There were more than 10,500 such children in Iowa in 2020 (8,592 of them referred for supervision by DHS) at a cost of nearly $223 million. More than 550 CASA volunteers served 1,377 children, contributing a value of more than $800,000. But for every one child who’s represented by a CASA, there are six who aren’t.
CASA advocates are ordinary people who care about children. They volunteer their time and talents to help make sure that children who have experienced abuse or neglect aren’t negatively affected by the state system intended to protect them. They are you.
Write a review