Kentucky Outreach

“Court Appointed Special Advocates”. Better known as CASA. It is a nonprofit organization that trains and supports volunteers to work with victmized children that are drawn into an overburdened child welfare system. The volunteers main purpose is to be with that child during their journey to a safe and permanent home.

History of the CASA movement
In 1977, Seattle Superior Court Judge David Soukup was concerned about trying to make decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children without enough information. He conceived the idea of appointing community volunteers to speak up for the best interests of these children in court. He made a request for volunteers; 50 citizens responded, and that was the start of the Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA, movement. In 1990, the US Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA programs with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.

Since the inception of CASA advocacy, volunteers have helped well over 1,000,000 children find safe, permanent homes in which they can thrive.

Mission Statement
To provide trained community volunteers to advocate the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in the court system.

Goal
The ultimate goal is for the volunteers to be a voice for these children in court. The result is that each child is placed into a safe, loving home where he or she can thrive.

The Impact
CASA volunteers perform independent investigations into the child’s case and make crucial recommendations to the judges so the children get the best services and placement as soon as possible.

Child abuse cases continue to rise at a staggering rate. It is our goal to ensure that every child who needs a CASA Advocate has a CASA Advocate. The virtue of the mission of CASA that children assigned a CASA volunteer received more services than cases not referred by the court to CASA We depend on the ongoing support of the community to accomplish this.

Contact information
If you are looking for opportunities to volunteer or to donate, or are simply looking for more information about the work CASA of the Heartland is doing, please contact Ellen Mink at 270-763-7761.

On the web:
Heartland CASA