Home. It’s a word that most of us take for granted, but for the hundreds of children in Northeast Louisiana that are abused or neglected each year, it’s not so clearly defined. For a child that has been in three foster homes and two schools in the past year, the idea of home can seem like a distant memory.
This is where a CASA comes in.
CASA Volunteers are appointed by a judge to help ensure that each abused or neglected child finds a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. The role of a CASA is to act as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the court system, collecting information through observation and interviews with key people in the child’s life and then reporting back to the judge.
A child with a CASA volunteer is twice as likely to find a permanent home and not languish in long term foster care.
Since our inception, CASA of Northeast Louisiana has advocated for approximately 1,900 children in need of care and has trained nearly 800 community volunteers. These CASA volunteers come from all walks of life and are a powerful voice for a child in need, making a lifelong difference, one child at a time.