CASA is central to fulfilling
society's most fundamental obligation
by making sure a qualified, compassionate
adult will fight for and protect a child's
right to be safe, to be treated with
dignity and respect and to learn and grow
in the safe embrace of a loving family.
A child has a right to feel safe, loved and cared for. An undeniable right to learn and grow and become the person they are destined to be. To be treated as human beings, not possessions. To thrive.
In our society, and in societies around the world, the stewardship of a child's rights rest primarily with family- that deeply important collection of people who are a child's support system, people who will put a child's needs, potential and safety first. A family is supposed to nourish and provide for its children, guide them with culture, traditions, beliefs and values. Children are supposed to be raised with smiles and scolds, praise and reprimands, the love of being held close and the love of being left to discover things on their own.
When- for whatever reason- a family is unable to live up to those obligations, a child is left to a system. A system that is full of well- intentioned people trying their best to place children in what is hoped will be better circumstances. But it is, after all, just a system- and an overtaxed one at that. Too often a child can be placed in a different home from his brothers and sisters. Too often a single child can move to three or five or 15 foster homes in merely a matter of a year or two. Too often a child can languish for years without finding a stable home and ultimately "age out" of the system.
That, at the end of the day, is why CASA exists. So a qualified responsible adult has each child's back at the most vulnerable and consequential time in that child's life. So somebody will fight for that child's rights.
Today, more than 70,000 CASA volunteers are spread throughout 955 programs around the country. Because of CASA, more than 2 million children have found their way to a safe home. CASA is the only program of its kind. In the child welfare and family court systems, it is nothing short of a transformation. Everything is built around one child and one compassionate, trained adult advocate for that child.