Every year in California:

Half a million children are referred Child Protective Services because of child maltreatment. 20%, or about 150,000, are substantiated as experiencing physical abuse or neglect, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, or a combination thereof.

In Nevada County child maltreatment is most often due to:

Methamphetamine and other drug use by parents Parental mental health issues Poor parenting skills Stress in families

The affected children are removed from their families to protect their well-being. They become “dependents” of the court system. During this 12-18 month court process the courts tries to determine the best future care for the child. The children are often living in foster care as the court tries to determine if the children can be reunited with their families, or not. These kids desperately need a committed, caring adult to become familiar with their lives and advocate for their best interest in court.

Nevada County CASAs:

Meet regularly with the child or children Review all important information about the child Maintain contact with the important people in the child’s life Advocate for the child in the system Write reports for the Dependency Court judge about what is best for the child’s future

Our CASA volunteers are screened and a complete a 35-hour training program before they are sworn in as an Officer of the Court. Advocates commit to staying with their child for a full year, although many CASAs choose to stay involved with their child’s case for many years.

Family Court CASA Program: The long-term, damaging effect of high conflict divorce on children has been studied and shown to significantly impact their future lives. All too often, children are caught in the cross-fire between warring parents.

After carefully looking at the child’s situation from all angles, the CASA makes recommendations to the court regarding custody, visitation, and other issues effecting the child’s well being. The CASA helps the parents to focus on the needs of the child and eases the confusing and often painful process of divorce for the child involved.

CASAs are also sometimes assigned to probate guardianship cases, when the child is being cared for by someone other than a parent.

Family Court CASAs receive the same screening and training and regular CASAs, with an additional five hour training class focusing on Family Court issues.