NCJ Number
215473
Date Published
2006
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This publication presents the 2005 National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA) annual report.
Abstract
The mission of the National CASA Association is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children and ensure that their legal and other needs are met. There are 948 local and State member CASA/GAL program offices in 49 States. In 2005, 226,204 abused and neglected children received advocacy from 53,847 volunteers in local and State CASA/GAL programs across the country, up almost 20 percent from the previous year. In 2005, National CASA supported CASA children, staff, and volunteers affected by Hurricane Katrina by providing, among other things, $160,005 in grants. National CASA also initiated several new training programs and public awareness and volunteer recruitment campaigns in 2005, including art projects that benefited foster children in Los Angeles and Miami. The National CASA distributed $8,702,280 in grants to local and State CASA programs in 2005 and trained 6,905 volunteers. In 2005, 26 percent of CASA children and youth were African-American compared to only 12 percent of CASA volunteers; as such, National CASA has increased its efforts to attract African-American volunteers and supporters for local programs. Web-based training in educational advocacy offered in 2005 enabled volunteers to have on-demand, free access to the training they need in order to advocate for the assigned children’s educational needs. National CASA’s public policy work in 2005 is described and includes the reauthorization of CASA program funding at $12,000,000 per year through 2011. The donors and supporters for 2005 are honored, particularly the Jewelers for Children and the Conrad Hilton Foundation. Grantee information for 2005 is listed, as are the Board of Directors and management staff. The story of 11-year-old Kiaya, a CASA child, is woven throughout the report.