MISSION of CASA
of
LEXINGTON:
To provide the child victim of
abuse or neglect with a trained, supervised volunteer who will advocate for the child’s best interest.
Our volunteers go
through a 30 hour training series at our office here in Lexington and are thereafter appointed to a case in the Fayette County
Family Court system. Once appointed on the case, the CASA volunteer interviews everyone involved. This
can include any or all of the following,
but is not limited to: the child, biological parents, foster parents, teachers, friends, doctors, therapists, and relatives.
The
CASA then writes reports which are sent to the Judge and all other parties (lawyers and social worker) in the case.
The judge uses these reports as his or her eyes and ears on the cases that need more attention than others. These
reports are very valuable to the Judge. They often provide information on these critical cases that would not otherwise be
available.
CASAs are unique. Unlike lawyers and social workers, who are required to consider the parents’
or family’s best interest, the CASA focuses solely on what is best for the child or children. Throughout the child’s
case quite often the foster parents, social workers, schools, towns, and everything else in the child’s life will change
many times due to placement. One of the goals of CASA is to minimize these changes, both by providing continual
monitoring and advocacy for the child, and by being a stable and constant person in this child’s life.
Only 16% of Fayette County’s children are receiving the advocacy that all
of the children need.
Please consider becoming an advocate for an abused or neglected child!