Statements
Mission
Our mission is to train and support Court Appointed Volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children that have come to the attention of Davidson County Juvenile Court so that each child can be safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive.
Background
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA, Inc.) of Nashville and Davidson County has been making a significant difference in the lives of foster children since 1984. CASA, Inc. was founded by a steering committee comprised of the National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville Section (NCJW) and the Junior League of Nashville. On June 19, 1984, CASA Nashville graduated its first class of 11 new Volunteer Advocates who served 15 children that year. Today, CASA has over 220 active Volunteer Advocates and serves over 400 children annually.
Impact
Since 1984, CASA has served Nashville's most vulnerable children by speaking for abused and neglected children caught in the foster care system and helping them find safe, permanent homes. CASA's trained Volunteer Advocates speak exclusively for each child and gives them a voice of hope. When a CASA Volunteer Advocate is involved, the results are remarkable. Children are more likely to: Stay out of the child welfare system, Be successful academically in school, and Remain in a stable and caring home.
While our goal is always to serve 100% of the children and families that need CASA, we also focus on tailoring our advocacy services to meet the specific needs of the children and families we serve. In keeping up with the unique growth of the Nashville community and the challenges that are presented to the children and families we serve; we have launched several new roles and programs to meet each child's unique needs. Those roles are:
• Adolescent Advocacy Team Leader- this role specializes in teens and more specifically our teens who are currently or at risk of being in a residential facility.
• Family Preservation Team Leader- this role is unique in that it overlays all our specialisms to ensure that we are using our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens while staying "child centered, and family focused."
• Health and Education Team Leader- the vast majority of the children we serve are school aged children. Trauma experienced in the home and from being
removed from their family unit, often impacts learning and their overall health. This position specializes in both the learning and medical fields to ensure the overall health and learning of our children and teens are not impacted negatively due to being in foster care
• Hispanic and Immigrant Advocacy Team Leader- this position specifically works with our children and families who may not speak English as their first language and/or who are here undocumented. This staff person is bilingual so that they and the volunteer advocates can speak directly with the child and family.
• Peer Coordinator Team Leader- this position oversees our tenured volunteer advocates who serve as Peer Coordinators. Our Peer Coordinators are trained seasoned volunteer advocates who supervise and mentor newer volunteer advocates on their cases. This program not only allows us to connect our volunteer advocates in a meaningful way but allows for our program to build capacity to serve more children.
• Project STARFISH Team Leader- this program is the newest to CASA Nashville and aims to serve youth who are neglect and dependent and have juvenile delinquency charges.
Needs
Our primary needs as a volunteer agency is to recruit and train a diverse group of volunteer advocates that meet the unique needs of the children and families we serve. We recognize the judicial and child welfare systems have historically been unfair and unjust to black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). As an agency, we understand the importance of our role in challenging our own biases (both conscious and unconscious) and our work in providing tailored advocacy services to every child and family we serve. Our hope is that family units stay intact if possible while ensuring the utmost safety for our children and youth. We are always in need of diverse volunteer advocates that span from the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and bilingual communities.
To meet the needs above, we must raise funds to support our work. If you are interested in learning more about how to support our fundraising efforts, you may contact Kathy Williams, our Director of Development, at kwilliams@casanashville.org.
CEO Statement
CASA Nashville and our base of over 200 community volunteer advocates have been providing our community's most vulnerable youth with a voice for close to 40 years. CASA Nashville was founded by the National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville Section, and the Junior League of Nashville. These compassionate women provided the seed money to establish the agency. The women realized the need for volunteer advocates to serve abused and neglected children in Davidson County. The agency began with just 12 volunteers who served a handful of children.
Since that time, CASA has grown to serve 430 abused, neglected children a year via 222 active CASA volunteer advocates. With the vast growth experienced in the Nashville community in the past several years, it has unfortunately moved our most vulnerable children and families further from safety and self-sustainability. While our goal is always to serve 100% of the need in Davidson County Juvenile Court, we also focus on providing a vast range of diverse volunteer advocates who our children and families can relate to. We recognize the judicial and child welfare systems have historically been unfair and unjust to black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). As an agency, we understand the importance of our role in challenging our own biases (both conscious and unconscious) and our work in providing tailored advocacy services to every child and family we serve. Our hope is that family units stay intact if possible while ensuring the utmost safety for our children and youth. We are always in need of diverse volunteer advocates that span from the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and bilingual communities.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Children's and Youth Services |
| Secondary Category: | Crime & Legal - Related - Alliances & Advocacy |
| Tertiary Category: | Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy - Children's Rights |
Areas Served
Davidson County, TN
| TN - Davidson |
