CASA of Central Virginia

We are there for the child- whatever their age, children removed from home because of abuse or neglect face a frightening, profound unknown. We make sure they don’t face it alone. We stand by them. We are there whenever they need us, for as long as it takes, to reach a safe and permanent home. We are strong, compassionate adults who are a consistent presence, who care, who listen, and who put the child’s interests before all others. We give children a say in what is happening to them. We speak for them when they cannot speak for themselves. We help them heal and thrive. We give them the support they need to become happy, successful adults. We help them find the road home, wherever it lies.

We are there for the judge - to make decisions that affect the rest of a child’s life, judges need to know the child. We help them do that. We take the time to get to know the child at the heart of each case. We go where they go. We talk to the people who touch their lives—parents and foster parents, family members, teachers, doctors, neighbors, friends, social workers, attorneys, and therapists. We gather the details only a dedicated volunteer with a caseload of one can deliver. Every visit, call, and report we make gives judges what they need to act in the best interests of the child. Every detail helps judges move the child out of the system and into a permanent home.

We are there to change lives - and we do. Children who have a court-appointed volunteer receive more of the services that are critical to their well-being than children who don’t. They are more likely to succeed in school. And while their cases are among the most difficult and heartbreaking, children with court-appointed volunteers cycle through fewer foster placements and spend less time in foster care. They reach safe, permanent homes and loving families more quickly. What’s that worth to a child? To a community? To a nation? The answer in dollars is impressive: $540 million a year in savings on foster care alone. The answer in everything else we value as a society—health, happiness, resilience, hope, strength, human potential, faith in ourselves and in our neighbors—is beyond measure.