CASA Services in Louisiana
CASA in Louisiana works to provide quality advocacy and a strong voice to abused and neglected children in the state’s care. CASA –through recruitment, training, and supervising volunteers– serves as the eyes and ears of the judge in working collaboratively to find safe and permanent, nurturing homes for Louisiana’s most vulnerable children.
What We Do
Louisiana CASA programs provide unique and specialized advocacy for children in foster care. Trained volunteers work with children, their families, their communities and the child welfare system to provide each child with a safe, permanent home. CASA programs also build the capacity of local communities to acknowledge and protect their most vulnerable, young citizens.
Commitment to Excellence
Louisiana CASA programs are members of National CASA, which sets standards of operation for all CASA programs in the country. Louisiana law mandates that Louisiana CASA programs adhere to these standards.
CASA programs ensure that all volunteers working within their programs are properly screened, trained and supervised, in compliance with both Louisiana law and National standards.
Cost Effectiveness of Community Involvement
Each CASA volunteer from the community may provide advocacy for two children or sibling groups at a time. In turn, each specially trained supervisor works directly with 30 volunteers. As a result, one paid staff member supervises volunteer services for 60 or more abused and neglected children, maximizing the impact of dollars spent.
In 210 alone, local community CASA volunteers across the state contributed time valued at $1.8 million.
Why CASA Is Unique
Focused exclusively upon the child’s best interest, a CASA volunteer provides individualized one-on-one advocacy. Advocates are recruited from the community and selected for each child to maximize the unique abilities of the advocate.
A CASA volunteer works with all agencies and parties involved to gather information and to provide an independent report for the Court with recommendations based solely upon the child’s best interest.
