About the Nonprofit
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Mission
Dallas CASA protects children, restores childhoods, and helps child victims of abuse and neglect achieve their full potential and embrace the promise of a brighter future.
Vision Statement
Dallas CASA envisions a day when all child victims of abuse and neglect can grow up in safe and nurturing homes where they can reach their full potential.
Background
In 1977, a Seattle judge concerned about deciding the fate of children without sufficient details began training community volunteers called Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to gather critical facts and make recommendations for the welfare of children in his court. Dallas CASA was founded in 1980, one of three pilot programs replicating the Seattle program.
Today, Dallas CASA serves more children with volunteer advocates than any of the 900 CASA programs nationwide. CASA is the only nonprofit agency in Dallas County authorized to recruit, train and supervise volunteers to represent the interests of child victims of abuse or neglect while they are in the custody of the state in a foster care, kinship or residential treatment center placement.
Need for Services
At the end of the state’s last fiscal year, 3,329 children were reported to be in the legal custody of the state under the supervision of the Dallas County court system. On an average day in Dallas, more than 2,094 children live in protective care because it is not safe at home (TDFPS Data Book, 2021).
For children living in foster care or other placements, such as shelters or group homes, quality connections with reliable adults help them recover from the harmful effects of abuse and face challenges including the transitions in and out of schools and homes that many foster children endure. While children are in protective care, CASA volunteers advocate for the services the children need to heal from the trauma and they help identify a safe, permanent home where the children can thrive when returning home is not a safe option.
A CASA volunteer can make all the difference in the life of a child victim of abuse and neglect. Dallas CASA is committed to sustaining its ability to provide an advocate for every Dallas child living in protective care.
