Helping Children of Mercer County Since 1987

CASA

To give a child a CASA
is to give them a voice.
To give them a voice
is to give them hope.
And to give them hope
is to give them the world.

—Pamela Butler, former foster youth

WHAT IS CASA?

CASA was created in 1977 by Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle to be sure that he was receiving all of the important facts of the Child Protective Services cases and that the long-term welfare of each child was being represented.

CASA is a network of citizen volunteers, appointed by the courts to advocate for children in the Child Protective Services system. These advocates are the eyes and ears of the Judges. CASA reports are trusted instruments to summarize information for the Judge as well as make reccommendations to the placement of the child and the services he/she receives.

CASA IN MERCER COUNTY

In 1987, the Juvenile Court Advisory Committee created the Mercer County Child Abuse Program. This program included the a volunteer program of court-appointed monitors for child abuse victims. These specially trained court-appointed monitors became the original CASA volunteers for Mercer County. Our Mercer County CASA program was one of the first in Pennsylvania.

WHAT DO CASAs DO?

A CASA Volunteer has three main roles:
1. To serve as a fact-finder for the judge by thoroughly researching and summarizingtheir assigned case
2. To advocate for the child in the courtroom, along with any involved attorneys for the child
3. To monitor the child during the life of the case to ensure an appropriate conclusion

The MCJAC office is always available to assist and support our CASA volunteers and will prepare for and attend court hearings with the CASA Volunteer.

Please give what you can.

Children are waiting.