Williamson County CASA, Inc.
Programs
Budget
$355,000.00
Description
Williamson County CASA provides community volunteers to advocate for children in Williamson County Juvenile Court who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. The CASA volunteer does not side with any party involved in the case. Instead, the advocate investigates the claims, meets with the involved parties and makes recommendations to the judge regarding the child's best interests. The goal is to get the child out of unhealthy homes and into safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. During the 2017/18 fiscal year, Williamson County CASA volunteers (and staff) served 551 children. Numbers of children referred last month were more than double the number of children referred during the same period last year. With this level of increased demand, needs for funds and volunteers is at an all-time high. It is the goal of Williamson County CASA that 100% of children assigned by the court would be served and that there never be a waiting list for our services.
Program Areas Served
None
$355,000.00
Description
Williamson County CASA provides community volunteers to advocate for children in Williamson County Juvenile Court who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. The CASA volunteer does not side with any party involved in the case. Instead, the advocate investigates the claims, meets with the involved parties and makes recommendations to the judge regarding the child's best interests. The goal is to get the child out of unhealthy homes and into safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. During the 2017/18 fiscal year, Williamson County CASA volunteers (and staff) served 551 children. Numbers of children referred last month were more than double the number of children referred during the same period last year. With this level of increased demand, needs for funds and volunteers is at an all-time high. It is the goal of Williamson County CASA that 100% of children assigned by the court would be served and that there never be a waiting list for our services.
Program Areas Served
None
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| In Williamson County, we are so fortunate to have great schools, an involved community, caring community leaders, and low crime rates. However, along with these attributes comes a certain facade that our community does not face some of the same issues other counties face. In fact, our most vulnerable and innocent citizens, our children, do face abuse and neglect. The rate in which reported cases of abuse and neglect has risen in the past year is startling. Adding to the difficulty of the situation, for those victims who need to be placed in care outside of their home, there are disproportionately few foster homes available here. This exacerbates the issue of serving these children because they are often placed in homes several miles from Williamson County. Williamson County CASA has created goals around this lack of awareness. We have approached local leaders of civic organizations, churches, and clubs to engage them in the solution. We have already started speaking to large groups of concerned citizens. We have established several new processes for communicating, tracking, and reporting services and demand. One way we have successfully increased services to the children we serve is through the acquisition and implementation of a facility dog. We utilize Rocklin, our Courthouse Dog, to assist and comfort children through the often terrifying experience of testifying in court. Rocklin has been well received by all of the children he has served as well as welcomed by our community. Rocklin has been a tool for teaching children about court, raising community awareness, and illustrating the experiences children often face in court. |
