Marin Advocates for Children

Advocate, Reunify, Encourage

Sometimes we as a community are called upon to step into a family situation and assume responsibility for the welfare of a child whose life has been torn apart. The Marin CASA Program recruits, screens, trains and supervises volunteers to advocate for children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment and are dependents of the Marin Juvenile Court. CASA volunteers are sworn officers of the court, appointed by a judge to investigate and report on the best interests of children, between the ages of birth through eighteen, who have been abused and neglected. CASA volunteers are often the only consistent person in the child's life and provide support for the child throughout the court process. Because of this, volunteers are asked to make an eighteen-month commitment to the child or siblings they have been assigned to.

While each case varies, a volunteer typically spends eight to eighteen hours per month on a case. CASA advocates for health care, educational services and therapeutic treatmen,t and to ensure that each child has a safe and permanent home.

CASA volunteers are community members who undergo a thorough background and screening process and complete forty hours of initial training. CASA volunteers meet and work with dedicated professional working to help children and families reunify. CASA volunteers have a variety of professionals, educational and ethnic backgrounds.

The goal of the Marin CASA Program is to advocate for what is best for each child, to see that every effort is made to reunify families, and to encourage families to develop effectively and use resources of their own. When reunification is deemed impossible, it also is the goal of the Marin CASA Program to see that the child is placed in a home which offers the possibility of a permanent, stable, nurturing environment.

CASA is uniquely positioned to advocate for the best interests of children. Volunteers are assigned just one or two cases and are involved for a case's duration. CASA volunteers are focused on the well-being of the child without having to serve the interests of the parents, the county child protective services, or the state.

In 2004, the Marin CASA program supervised 100 volunteers who served 195 children of all ages, donating over 20,435 hours. In Marin County over 85% of the children who have been placed in the county's care have a CASA volunteer to advocate for them.

For further information, please contact Marcia Miller at 415.507.9016 or by email at marcia@marinadvocates.org.

	Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Mission Statement: To assure safe, permanent homes for children in the court system so they have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
	Cyndy Doherty Program Director