Facts

We are a national organization of volunteers who judges appoint to speak for the safety and well-being of abused and neglected children. By being independent investigators and advocates, our volunteers can make all the difference in these children's lives. Research shows children with a CASA volunteer are much less likely to languish in long-term foster care.

• CASA is unique. The only program where everyday citizens are appointed by judges to speak up for a child's safety and well-being.
• Children assigned to CASA volunteers are victims of abuse and neglect.
• CASA is a national cause with 68,000 volunteers in over 970 locations across the country. Last year, we served about a quarter million children, about one-third of the over 780,000 children in foster care.
• CASA volunteers come from all walks of life. You do not have to be a lawyer or social worker to volunteer. We welcome volunteers from all cultures, professions, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Roughly half of our volunteers work full time.
• CASA volunteers are well trained, with no less than 30 hours training prior to being assigned to a case. Volunteers are well supported by local CASA program staff with professional backgrounds in the legal and child welfare fields.
• Judges, attorneys, child welfare workers and parents overwhelmingly report that volunteers make a difference with the children they serve.

• Children with a CASA volunteer are half as likely to spend time in long-term foster care, defined as more than three years in care.
• Cases involving a CASA volunteer are more likely to be permanently closed. Fewer than 10% of children with a CASA volunteer re-enter the foster care system.
• CASA volunteers spend most of their volunteer time in contact with a child. They generally handle just one or two cases at a time so that they can give each child's case the sustained, personal attention he or she deserves. To a child, that means a consistent and caring adult presence in his or her life.
• CASA advocacy saves taxpayer dollars. If the median length of stay were shortened for children in foster care by just one month, it would realize a national savings to taxpayers of approximately $2.75 billion.