Is The CASA Program Effective?

Before volunteering with an organization, most people do research to see if their time will be well spent, in other words, will they be able to see themselves making a difference?

I have spent the better part of my career working with causes (mainly higher education) that engage volunteers to accomplish their mission. While the causes I have worked with were quite worthy and laudable, none have impressed me with their long-term impact like the CASA movement has. I have seen firsthand how Tri-County CASA makes a difference in the lives of children and their families, particularly in the areas of safety and permanency.

One recent study gives further proof of CASA's efficacy. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG), at the request of Congress, conducted an audit of the National CASA Association, the national organization to which Tri-County CASA belongs and reports.

They found:

1. Children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care, defined as more than 3 years in care: 13.3% for CASA cases versus 27.0% of all children in foster care.

2. When a CASA volunteer was involved, both children and their parents were ordered by the courts to receive more services. The audit concluded that this was an indication that “CASA is effective in identifying the needs of children and parents.”

3. Cases involving a CASA volunteer are more likely to be permanently closed than cases where a CASA volunteer is not involved. The statistics vary from only 1.4% of children with a CASA volunteer reentering the CWS (CASA Data Request) to 9% of CASA children reentering the CWS (Youngclarke Review). This is in contrast to 16% for children not served by a volunteer.

4. Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to be adopted and less likely to be reunified with their parents than children not assigned a CASA volunteer. The audit explains this finding as the result of CASA volunteers serving on typically the most serious cases of maltreatment and therefore cases where children are less likely to be reunified with their parents.

Several other studies (see the References below for more details) showcase the unique effective nature of CASA volunteer advocacy, namely that:

1. CASA volunteers spend most of their volunteer time in contact with a child.

2. CASA volunteers spend significantly more time in contact with a child than a paid guardian ad litem.

3. CASA volunteers are far more likely than paid attorneys to file written reports.

4. CASA volunteers are highly effective in getting their recommendations accepted in court. In four out of five cases, all or almost all CASA volunteer recommendations are accepted.

5. When a CASA volunteer is assigned, a higher number of services are ordered for children and families.

6. A child with a CASA volunteer is more likely to be adopted.

7. A child with a CASA volunteer is as likely to be reunified with their birth parent as a child without a CASA volunteer.

8. A child with a CASA volunteer is less likely to reenter the child welfare system. The proportion of reentries is consistently reduced by half.

If you are interested in volunteering with an organization that makes a positive short-term and long-term impact in the lives of vulnerable children, please consider the court appointed special advocate program.

For more information, or to volunteer, please call Tri-County CASA at (918) 343-1515.

REFERENCES

1. Caliber Associates, National CASA Association Evaluation Project, Caliber Associates; Fairfax, Virginia, 2004.
2. Donald D. Duquette and Sarah H. Ramsey, “Using Lay Volunteers to Represent Children in Child Protection Court Proceedings” (Appendix C). Child Abuse and Neglect 10(3): p. 293-308, 1986.
3. Sherrie S. Aitken, Larry Condelli, and Tom Kelly, Final Report of the Validation and Effectiveness Study of Legal Representation Through Guardian Ad Litem. Report submitted to the Administration on Children Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services by CSR, Inc.: Washington, DC, 1993.
4. Karen C. Snyder, John D. Downing, and Jill A. Jacobson, A Report to the Ohio Children's Foundation on the Effectiveness of the CASA Program of Franklin County. The Strategy Team: Columbus, OH, 1996.
5. Victoria Weisz and Nghi Thai, “The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program: Bringing information to Child Abuse and Neglect Cases,” Child Maltreatment 8(X), 2003.
6. Larry Condelli, National Evaluation of the Impact of Guardian Ad Litem in Child Abuse and Neglect Judicial Proceedings. Report submitted to the National Center of Child Abuse and Neglect for the Administration of Children, Youth and Families by CSR, Inc.: Washington, DC, 1988.
7. Litzelfelner, “The Effectiveness of CASAs in Achieving Positive Outcomes for Children,” Child Welfare 79(2): p. 179-193, 2000.
8. John Poertner and Allan Press, “Who Best Represents the Interests of the Child in Court?” Child Welfare 69(6): p. 537-549, 1990.
9. Gene C. Siegel, et al., Arizona CASA effectiveness study. Report to the Arizona Supreme Courts, Administrative Office of the Courts, Dependent Children's Services Division by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, 2001.
10. Susan M. Profilet, et al., Guardian ad Litem Project. Child Advocates Inc., 1999.
11. Shareen Abramson, “Use of Court-Appointed Advocates to Assist in Permanency Planning for Minority Children,” Child Welfare 70(4): p. 477-487, 1991.
12. Michael Powell and Vernon Speshock, Arizona Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, Internal Assessment, 1996.

All statistical information for this article is from the National CASA Association, of which Tri-County CASA is a member in good standing.