Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children, INC. (CASA for Children, Inc.)

PROJECT PURPOSE

The mission of CASA for Children, a voice for children, is to ensure the rights to safety within the home, and permanency in a family, are protected through advocacy and education within Judicial District 15, State of Oklahoma. We've received $213,165.27 decrease in funding. When I came to this office in 2014 we had 54 volunteer advocates, we now have 121 volunteers serving children in four rural communities, each Volunteer Coordinator can serve 30 volunteers or 45 cases. This number results in the service of 75 children.

EVIDENCE

CASA volunteers have a profound impact on the children they serve. A child with a CASA volunteer is: More likely to be adopted; Half as likely to re-enter foster care; Substantially less likely to remain in long-term foster care; More likely to have a plan for permanency; More likely to do well in school; Likely to receive more services than those without a CASA volunteer

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Our four counties are considered rural and low income. There is currently 367 children in care, we are serving 39% of that number due to the cuts during the pandemic and losing staff. These children that do not have a CASA are not receiving all of the assistance they should be entitled to.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Our information is gathered through contact with all involved parties and reports prepared by our volunteers that are reviewed by staff. All of that information is then transferred into Optima. Optima, our outcomes management evaluation tool, tracks all cases, children, volunteer demographics and work product. Our program also surveys Volunteer Advocates, Judges and our CASA kids to ensure that we are running an effective program.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma