Children served by CASA have experienced abuse and neglect. They know loss and trauma. Often, they are also resilient. They need the consistency and caring that advocate volunteers can offer.

Court Appointed Special Advocates are assigned to children from birth through age 21 who are under the supervision or in the care and custody of the local child welfare system, as well as under the supervision of Family Court due to an abuse or neglect proceeding. Youth in foster care have the right, under New York State law, to remain in foster care until age 21.

Children served by CASA are often in out-of-home care and placed in foster care, with relatives (known as kinship care) or, at times, in higher levels of care such as group homes or residential treatment. While these removals are necessary to ensure the safety of the child, they are traumatic.

CASA can also be assigned to children who are home with family but under the supervision of the child welfare and court systems. These are called preventive cases.

Regardless of the placement, CASA’s primary responsibility is to monitor the child’s health care, health, education, well-being and permanency planning through contact with the child and anyone directly involved with the child’s life. In the course of doing this, CASA volunteers often work closely with foster parents, relative caregivers, biological parents and other adults involved in the child’s life.

CASA volunteers do not serve on children’s cases of custody, visitation or juvenile delinquency unless there is a related abuse or neglect proceeding in Family Court.