CASA of Madison and Clark Counties Inc
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : f*********d@m*********a.o*g
Mission Statement
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Madison and Clark Counties advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children as assigned within the Madison and Clark Counties Family Court System and through trained volunteers. In addition to providing a voice for children in need of a safe, permanent, nurturing homes, CASA works to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect in collaboration with key agencies and community resources.
About This Cause
Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA, of Madison and Clark Counties uses community volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children within the Madison and Clark Counties Family Court system. Children we serve have to have an open abuse or neglect case in court and they have to be between the ages of 0 and 18. Volunteers are appointed by a judge and have a child or sibling set that they advocate for. Volunteers have to visit with the child/children at least monthly and will stay involved until the child/children achieve permanency. Permanency is either reunification, adoption or permanent custody to a relative. In Madison and Clark Counties, Kentucky, on average it takes about 2 years for a child to achieve permanency. Volunteers will stay involved that entire time. Volunteers differ from social workers, as social workers on average in Kentucky have 45 cases, whereas, volunteers have one. Volunteers are involved in the court process and are the child's voice in court. Family Court often times forgets about the children involved and CASA volunteers ensure that the children are not forgotten about. Volunteers make recommendations to the court regarding the child/children through a court report. Children who have a CASA volunteer are more likely to achieve permanency than a child without a CASA volunteer. This is tremendous as it enables children to go on and thrive much sooner. Children with a CASA volunteer are less likely to ever re-enter the system, through foster care, juvenile detention and incarceration. We strive to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Volunteers have to be at least 21 years old, not be a foster parent, consent to background checks, be able to commit to the case for 2 years and attend a 30-hour training. The 30-hour training helps people gain more understanding of the child welfare system as well as the different issues that may arise. We discuss trauma, domestic violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, LGBTQ+ youth, as well as how to advocate for a child’s best interest. Volunteers have to have 12-hours of continuing education a year, and each month we hold trainings for volunteers. Madison and Clark Counties, Kentucky is unlike most rural counties as we have a tremendous drug problem due to I-75 running right through our county. This interstate goes from Florida all the way to Michigan and is a major route to traffic drugs. This negatively impacts our community and 90% of abuse and neglect cases are due to drug use. In 2021, there were 432 abused and neglected children in Madison County. In Clark County, in 2021, there were 213. These are substantiated cases, which means there is enough evidence to assume it happened.