History
Concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected children's
lives without sufficient information, a Seattle judge conceived the idea
of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests
of these children in court. So successful was this Seattle program that
soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990,
the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA with passage of the
Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today more than 900 CASA programs are in operation,
with 52,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers. CASA is an acronym
for Court Appointed Special Advocate.
"As a judge, I had to make tough decisions. I had to decide whether
to take a child from the only home he's ever known, or leave him someplace
where he might possibly be abused. I needed someone who could tell me
what was best for that child--from the child's viewpoint. That's what
CASA does."
--The Honorable David Soukup, Retired Judge, Founder of CASA
CASA Fact Sheet
The Law requires Court representation for abused and neglected children.
Federal and state laws require that abused and neglected children be appointed advocates to represent the best interests of children in the courts. Laws are based on the belief that children should have permanent safe homes in our community.
Why do we need a CASA in Missoula?
Missoula County received 690 reports of child abuse and neglect in 2004.
There are presently 157 children in out-of-home care in Missoula.
Missoula CASA was established in 1994.
We are a program that has served this community for over 10 years. CASA
of Missoula is a non-profit 510(c)3 organization comprised of community
volunteers who serve as advocates for children who are abused or neglected
and have been brought to the attention of the fourth judicial district
court. We presently have 42 active volunteers working with over 100 children
and their families in our community.
There are more than 900 CASA programs nationwide with 15 of those programs operating in the State of Montana. CASA volunteers act as the eyes and ears for the court to provide an objective perspective on the case. But equally as important, CASA volunteers do much behind the scenes to move the case forward by focusing on the needs of the child. The CASA volunteer spends between 5 and 20 hours a month on each case. Each volunteer works with just 1 or 2 cases at a time. This allows them to get to know all the issues involved in the case as well as spend time with the child.
Cost Effectiveness
The entire budget for CASA of Missoula is less $60,000 per year. Our
cost per child served by a volunteer is approximately $500 compared to
the national average of $990 per child. For $500, these volunteers spend
many hours working with children to develop a trusting relationship and
help create a healthy and safe environment. Millions of dollars are spent
each year for child protection and foster care in Missoula, yet the cost
to our community is even larger for those abused children who never receive
the attention they need. Unfortunately, abused and neglected children
are 1.38 times more likely to commit violent acts. Maltreatment in childhood
increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53%, as an adult by
38%, and for violent crime by 38%. These children frequently develop lifelong
mental health and substance abuse problems and need treatment which is
often paid for by the taxpayer.
As we limit the ability of government to combat these problems, organizations like CASA must step up to assure that no child who is abused or neglected is ignored. Our goal is to serve all children brought into court for abuse and neglect. Providing a stable, caring environment is the best solution to mitigating the effects of childhood maltreatment.