http://www.casa-lane.org
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) provide a powerful voice for abused and neglected children by recruiting, training and supporting professional-level volunteers who speak for each child’s best interests in the courtroom and the community. CASA volunteers make a commitment to advocate for their assigned child(ren) until his/her case is closed by the court to ensure each child is safe, has a permanent home, and is given the opportunity to thrive.
CASA of Lane County focuses on one program: powerful advocacy through the recruitment, training and support of CASA volunteers. No other agency in Lane County provides direct, state-mandated advocacy for children in the system. When children are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, they are placed in an overburdened system where they can slip through the cracks and risk continued abuse or neglect. Court Appointed Special Advocates have the power to prevent this tragic reality. Each CASA volunteer is appointed to just one or two children or sibling groups, allowing the volunteer to give personalized attention to each child’s case. The CASA volunteer speaks for the child’s best interests in the courtroom and community, ensuring that she/he moves quickly and effectively through the system and into a safe, permanent home. While other adults involved in the child’s life can change frequently, the CASA volunteer makes a commitment to remain a constant presence for the child from the case’s beginning to end. For many children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence advocating for them personally. Last year in Lane County, over 1,500 children spent at least one night in the child welfare system, one of the highest rates in the state. CASA served 423 of those children with 225 community volunteers.
174 Deadmond Ferry Rd. Springfield OR 97477
