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WELCOME to the Roanoke Valley CASA Foundation!
A safe, permanent home isn't something that a child should only dream about...
Each year approximately 20,000 Virginia children are thrust into court because they are victims of physical or sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment. Many of these children become part of the overburdened state child protection and justice systems. Their lives are disrupted and their futures are uncertain.
What is CASA?
Roanoke Valley Court Appointed Special Advocates are everyday people who are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. A CASA volunteer advocate stays with each child until they are placed in a safe, permanent and nurturing home. History of CASA
Our Mission:
CASA is the child’s voice in court.
The Roanoke Valley CASA Foundation (CASA) is committed to serving the abused and neglected children in the Roanoke Valley who come before the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for protection. The purpose of CASA is to humanize the complicated, unfamiliar, and frightening legal and child welfare systems for the child victim by providing a trained volunteer who will act as a consistent advocate in the court system.
The Importance of CASA - Children Need Protection and Care More Than Ever
Each week in the United States, child protective services (CPS) agencies collectively receive more than 50,000 referrals alleging that children have been abused or neglected. As referrals may involve more than one child, the total 2.9 million referrals concerned approximately 5.5 million children. Of these, approximately two thirds were screened and received investigations or assessments to determine whether the allegations of maltreatment could be substantiated.
An estimated 906,000 children were found to be victims of abuse and neglect in 2003. In that same year, an estimated 1,500 children died from abuse or neglect. Children ages 0-4 years old accounted for 78.7% of child fatalities, with children younger than 1 year old accounting for 43.6% of all child fatalities. Violence often occurs against women and children in the same family. Research indicates that between 50 and 70% of men who assault their female partners also abuse their children.
As of September 30, 2003, there were an estimated 523,000 children in foster care, with 119,000 awaiting adoption. Only 50,000 children were adopted from the public foster care system in FY 2003. States spent at least $22 billion from federal, state and local resources on child welfare services.
Research shows that no group in the United States is more predictably headed for unhappy outcomes than young people who spend their adolescence in foster care. In Virginia, more than 8000 children are in foster care at any given time. CASA volunteer advocates make sure that the abuse and neglect that the children originally suffered at home doesn’t continue as abuse and neglect at the hands of the system.
Approximately 188,620 children were served by all local CASA programs in 2004, with 50,801 volunteer advocates donating approximately 4.5 million hours to make a lifelong difference in the lives of abused and neglected children.
The volunteer has three essential roles as an advocate:
- To be a child's voice in court, representing their needs, concerns, and best interests;
- To complement the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court system by researching and assessing the circumstances of each case and report their findings and recommendations;
- To continue to provide emotional support to the child and follow the progress of the case as it moves through the system.