Letter from the Chair 

I am privileged to have served on the board of Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocates Association for six  years. Every board meeting opens with a story describing a current case and the volunteer advocate’s actions on behalf of an abused or neglected child. Although some stories have good outcomes, others include frustrating delays leaving the involved children in limbo within the foster care system. In all cases, the circumstances that led to the child’s removal from his or her home are appalling and heartbreaking. Having heard these reports month after month, I became convinced that every child in foster care must have a competent, adult voice in court to advocate solely for his or her best interests without regard to the interests of others. CASA provides that voice.

CASA's mission is simple and straightforward: to advocate for the timely placement of abused and neglected children in  permanent, safe and stable homes. Its achievement requires heroic effort, dedication and resources. In 2015, CASA served 330 children in East Baton Rouge Parish who were in foster care. By year end, 159 children reached permanent homes, while 149 children remained in foster care with their CASA volunteers continuing to advocate on their behalf. Twenty-two other children’s cases closed for other reasons, such as "aging out” of foster care at 18 years old. Although our advocates will help many children reach forever families in 2016, other children will still enter foster care due to abuse or neglect. CASA must continue to employ competent, capable staff to recruit, train and supervise competent, capable volunteers.

CASA volunteers complete 32 hours of training on such topics as cultural competency, the needs of children in foster care,  permanency planning, foster care placements, determining the best interests of children, applicable laws, and court observation. Our volunteer advocates, once trained and accepted by the court as CASAs, gather information from the children, biological and foster parents, family members, educators, healthcare providers, and others. They then interpret that information and present a written report to the court. The advocates are supported by CASA supervisors who accompany their volunteers to court appearances, monitor their cases, suggest solutions to complicated problems, provide moral support and ensure that abused children have a strong, positive voice in court. As a testament to CASA’s effectiveness, juvenile court judges in our parish have appointed CASA volunteers to the cases on their dockets since 1992.

Capital Area CASA needs your support to continue its outstanding work. I urge you to become involved in whatever way best  suits your interests and talents. Volunteer to become an advocate; serve on the board of directors; support the annual Casas for CASA fundraiser; join a volunteer committee; or raise or donate funds to enable CASA’s outstanding staff to continue to recruit, train and support its hardworking volunteers. You won't regret it.

Deborah E. Lamb

2015 Chair, Board of Directors