Program and Purpose

Our Program

Each year, over a thousand abused or neglected children in Contra Costa County come under the Court's care 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 cannot, or will not, take care of and protect you. Then into the lives of these children come dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, social workers, judges, lawyers and more. For some, one of these may be a CASA volunteer.

CASA volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children to make sure they do not get lost in the over-burdened legal system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. CASA volunteers help reduce delays and continuances and stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. CASA volunteers maintain ongoing communication with all parties involved in the case to best serve the child's interests and identify and address the child's needs. For many children, their CASA volunteer may be the one constant adult presence - the one adult who cares only for them and provides companionship and consistency. For the volunteer, this means a commitment of a minimum of 2 years and 15-20 hours per month of service.

Because of the enormous number of cases filed in Juvenile Court and dwindling resources to adequately investigate cases, judges are often compelled to make permanency-planning decisions based on less than complete or objective information.

In addition to our services to abused and neglected children, the CASA program works to provide community education and awareness concerning the issues of child abuse, neglect and child welfare policy. We are also committed to working towards public policies that promote child abuse prevention and address reforms in the juvenile dependency and foster care systems.

Our Purpose

The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program recruits, trains, and supports volunteer advocates as a powerful voice for the best interest of abused and neglected children during the court process, in order to help every child ultimately thrive in a stable and permanent home.

In support of our mission, CASA of Contra Costa County is committed to:

• Reducing the number of children who are on our waitlist who need a CASA today.
• Ensuring effective networking with the Contra Costa County Juvenile Court, the Children and Family Services Department, the Child Abuse Prevention Council, and other agencies.
• Advocating for the rights and needs of all children, regardless of race, religion, disability or sex.
• Providing a 35-40-hour training program to educate volunteers about the duties and responsibilities of becoming an advocate for abused and neglected children.
• Providing supervision, case consultation, in-service training, and team support to volunteers.
• Increasing public awareness of CASA and the needs of abused and neglected children.
• Nurturing the development of a culturally competent and diverse organization.