CASA program can play vital role in a child's life
Volunteers advocate for children who are dependents of court

In California thousands of children are removed from their homes because of alleged abuse. Many of these children don't have parents who contest the allegations or express an interest in their children. As dependents of the court, the children are part of a legal system, which often leaves them feeling confused and alone.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) trains recruits and supervises community volunteers who work to ensure that each child is reunited with his or her family, or is provided with an alternative permanent home with a stable family.

Every day in California 70 children who have been abused or neglected join the state's population of 80,000 children in foster care. California is home to nearly onefifth of all the children in foster care in the United States.

In California there are 4,000 volunteers in 43 county-run CASA programs that have weekly contact with foster children, advocating in court for each child's needs and bringing community perspective to closed judicial proceedings.