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CASA of Anne Arundel County Endowed Fund
About the Organization
A Message from CASA of Anne Arundel County
CASA MEANS HAVING A HOME INSTEAD OF FEELING LOST.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) believes every child who’s been abused or neglected deserves to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interest in court, at school, and in our community. To accomplish this, CASA educates and empowers diverse community volunteers who ensure each child’s needs remain a priority in an over-burdened child welfare system.
When the state steps in to protect a child’s safety because the people responsible for protecting them have not, a judge appoints a trained CASA volunteer to make independent and informed recommendations and help the judge decide what’s best for the child.
THE ROLE OF A CASA
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. CASAs are specially trained volunteers who are appointed as “Officers of the Court” to an abused or neglected child. Their role is to make recommendations to the Court about what is in the child’s best interest.
The volunteer will draw together this information by getting to know the child and gathering information from other persons who are involved in this child’s life. CASA volunteers are an active part of the child’s team that is working toward ensuring that the child has a safe, stable and permanent home.
Other members of the team may include the child’s Department of Social Services foster care worker, foster parents, biological parents, extended family, teachers, doctors, and therapists.
WHAT DOES A CASA DO?
- Visits with the child regularly
- Reviews the social service agency and Court records
- Gathers information about the child from parents, caregivers, social workers, teachers, and anyone else important in the child’s life
- Identifies family and community resources that can help meet the child’s needs
- Problem solves with the professionals involved in the child’s case
- Prepares written reports for Court hearings
- Participates in Court hearings
- Participates in team meetings
- Provides testimony to the Court if requested
- Ensures that the child’s wishes are known to the judge
- Meets regularly with the CASA case supervisor for support and guidance
- Keeps the focus on the child until he/she is in a safe, stable permanent home
- Maintains confidentiality at all times
OUR CASA CHILDREN
WHO ARE THE CASA CHILDREN?
In Anne Arundel County, CASA volunteers are appointed to children between the ages of birth to 21, who have been abused or neglected and are in the foster care system. Our children come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
All of them have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect and being separated from their family, friends, pets, school, and neighborhood. Their whole world has been turned upside down and they now find themselves living with strangers.
In addition, many of our children suffer from learning disabilities, developmental delays, physical disabilities, emotional issues and trauma.
The longer these children are in the system, the more chaotic their lives become; moving from foster home to foster home, changing schools, social workers who come and go, and family who no longer visit.
HOW DO CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM A CASA?
- Spend less time in foster care, are moved less frequently and are more likely to be placed with brothers and sisters.
- Children who have a CASA receive more services and have one consistent person advocating for them.
- The United States Department of Health and Human Services gives CASA programs working on behalf of children their highest recommendation. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recognizes CASA as a safety net for abused children and an effective partner in delinquency prevention.
- The Council of Family Court Judges acknowledges the work of CASA in ensuring safe and permanent homes for abused and neglected children. The National Bar Association endorses the appointment of CASA to represent the best interests of abused/neglected children, and recognizes that CASA volunteers prevent thousands of children from becoming stranded in the courts and foster care.
Findings from the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice:
- Children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care (more than 3 years in care).
- When a CASA volunteer is involved, both children and their parents are ordered by the courts to receive more services, indicating that “CASA is effective in identifying the needs of children and parents.”
- Cases involving a CASA volunteer are more likely to be permanently closed than cases where a CASA volunteer is not involved and children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to be adopted.
Make a Tax-Smart Impact
Many people like you are making tax smart donations with appreciated stocks and bonds, qualified charitable distributions (QCD) from an IRA, or a variety of planned gifts. For more information, please email John@CFAAC.org or call 410-280-1102 ext. 103.
Should you wish to make a non-cash donation, CFAAC accepts gifts of appreciated stock for the benefit of this fund. To initiate this transaction, contact your broker with the number of shares of each security you wish to give. All gifts of stocks and bonds which are “DTC Eligible” can be transferred to CFAAC using the information below:
- Pershing, LLC Depository Trust Company (DTC) #0443 For the credit to: Pershing, LLC #4S2117401
- Account name: The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County
PLEASE NOTE: Donor names are rarely provided when securities are transferred electronically. To ensure your gift is correctly allocated, please email Kathy@CFAAC.org with the gift amount and the name of the fund your gift will support.