About CASA
Our Mission Statement
CASA of Linn County’s mission is to serve every abused and neglected child who is a dependent ward of the Court in Linn County, provide professional training, support and supervision to volunteer advocates; and to ensure every child is safe, has a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive.
CASA of Linn County’s board, staff, and volunteers commit to these values to strengthen our work in advocacy.
Adaptability
Collaboration
Integrity
Respect
Quality
Services
Stewardship
“ While sitting at juvenile court, I never got a night’s sleep without waking to wonder if at least one decision I made that day had been the best for a child. It struck me that it might be possible to recruit and train volunteers to investigate a child’s case so they could provide a voice for the child in those proceedings, proceedings which could affect their whole lives. ”
– Judge David W. Soukup, Founder of CASA
Judge Soukup’s profound reflection in 1977 became the catalyst for the inception of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), triggering a nationwide movement. In 1987, spurred by the passage of the Oregon Statute mandating a CASA for every abused and neglected child in state care, CASA of Linn County emerged. Operating as a 501c3 non-profit due to the absence of state funding, CASA of Linn County remains committed to its crucial mission of best interest advocacy for foster youth.
Judges, often detached from direct interactions with the children impacted by their decisions, face the challenge of gathering comprehensive information. Amidst voices of caseworkers and attorneys, a singular focus on the child is essential. This is where the court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, steps in. Ordered by the judge, the CASA becomes the unwavering voice for the child, ensuring their perspective is heard and considered in critical proceedings.
Graphic from National CASA
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, 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 or two 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 CASA 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 CASAs 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.
We are not there alone.
- Our work with children is one-on-one, but we do not work alone. We are a movement, a group of people who have come together to advance a shared goal.
- Our movement includes nearly 1,000 state organizations and local programs that currently support more than 77,000 CASAs.
- And it includes judges, attorneys, caseworkers, families, policymakers, donors, and friends.
We Value Diversity
- CASA of Linn County respects and celebrates diversity in all of its forms, understand that it affects all aspects of our work, and strive to be inclusive and welcoming.