CASA OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION INC
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Mission Statement
CASA of the Pikes Peak Region provides a volunteer’s voice in court for children who are victims of abuse, neglect or domestic conflict and promotes community awareness of these issues to ensure safe and permanent homes.
About This Cause
The concept for the CASA or Court Appointed Special Advocates program was conceived in 1976 by a Seattle judge who wanted to ensure that he was receiving sufficient information on cases involving abused or neglected children, and their continued long-term welfare was being well represented in court. He envisioned using trained community volunteers to research the background of a child and speak on behalf of a child’s best interests, in order to help the court make a sound decision about that child's future. Putting this concept into action, the first CASA program was started in King County, Washington, in July 1977. CASA has since gone on to transform America's judicial procedure and the lives of over two million children nationwide. Its work has been recognized over the years by organizations that include the American Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1987, studies conducted by the Junior League of Colorado Springs indicated child abuse victims in El Paso and Teller Counties did not have representation and advocacy. CASA was selected as the best approach to address this growing need. (Each CASA program operates independently within its community and is governed by a local Board of Directors.) Once the Board of Directors was formed, the volunteer programming then began. In 1989, a volunteer coordinator was hired to train CASA of the Pikes Peak Region’s first 21 volunteers. In fiscal year 2013-2014, 394 volunteers touched the lives of 1,172 child victims of abuse, neglect and domestic violence through all of our programs. Now in our 25th Anniversary year, CASA continues to provide effective and compassionate advocacy for over 11,500 children, whose lives have been changed for the better. CASA of the Pikes Peak Region, Inc. is unique in that we have created extensive programming within our agency that provides a continuum of care for child victims. Our program is a model in the State of Colorado and nationwide for CASA advocacy services for children and we often train other agencies. Our accomplishments in the last year include: • Decreased our cost to serve a child in the D&N program by 15%; • Focused on the adolescents we serve creating an intensive in-service training for volunteers on teen cases; • Developed the Hanger Project to help build life skills for older youth in foster care; • CASA served 1,080 children last year and over 9,000 children through all of our programs since our inception; • CASA’s child abuse victims found stability and permanency with 93% experiencing less than two moves in foster care and the average CASA case lasting less than 13 months; • Just as we have for the past 24 years, CASA received a clean and exemplary financial audit; • 84 cents of every dollar donated went directly to programs (10% to administration and 6% to fundraising); and, • 98.9% compliance rate for the National CASA Quality Assurance Process (85% was the national benchmark); • Developed a new model of volunteer leadership called Peer Coordinators who mentor and support all new volunteers. CASA Programs: There are four programs within the CASA of the Pikes Peak Region organization specifically designed to address the unique needs of child victims of abuse, neglect and severe domestic conflict. Many of our families utilize services in multiple programs at the same time. This continuum of services provides greater safety, oversight, and tools for family success. These programs and activities are: 1) The Dependency and Neglect (D&N) Program entails advocating for abused and neglected children in the court system. Cases involve physical, emotional or sexual abuse or emotional neglect. Volunteers assigned to cases visit the child frequently; meet with the professionals involved in the case (teachers, therapists, and attorneys, for example); monitor compliance with court orders; attend hearings; “speak up” for the child in court and write objective reports to the court about the information they have gathered. These reports clarify issues and keep cases moving. Served 501 children in FY 2013-2014. 2) The Supervised Exchange/Parenting Time (SEPT) Program is a court-ordered service protecting children from witnessing parental disputes during exchanges as well as providing supervised visits to non-custodial parents in conflictive custody or domestic violence cases. This program provides children with a neutral, safe setting in which to have parenting time with both parents. Served 219 children in FY 2013-2014 through 316 exchanges and 2,489 visits. 3) The Children and Families in Transition (C-FIT) Program educates parents about the effects of divorce on children. The seminar also instructs parents about the legal aspects of custody arrangements, the negative effects of parental conflict on children and is mandatory for all divorcing parents in the Fourth Judicial District. Served 2,782 parents in FY 2013-2014. 4) Milton Foster Children’s Fund provides all foster children opportunities not funded through other agencies. These needs include scholarships for specialized education options, sports and recreation activities, and unmet medical and dental needs among others. The Hanger (a project of MFCF), is a store where teens in foster care can shop for free clothes and accessories, gain work experience, and participate in life skills workshops to prepare them for when they leave the foster care system. All funds are allocated by a volunteer committee based on established criteria and an application procedure. MFCF served 104 children and The Hanger served 348 foster youth in FY 2013-2014.