About CASA

CASA's 2nd Annual
Community Awards Celebration
Join us as we honor exemplary community members who support our work with children.
May 8, 2008
6-7:30 p.m.
Watsonville Civic Plaza
Community Room
275 Main Street
RSVP at
761-2956, Ext. 102
or to joanne@casaofsantacruz.org
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Thanks to
all those
who participated in the 2008 Big Sur International Marathon!
2008 Photos

CASA of Santa Cruz County Close to 200 children had a Court Appointed Special Advocate last year. Every one of these children have been physically or sexually abused, neglected or abandoned. When the Juvenile Court has determined that a child must be removed from his or her home to avoid further danger, the impact on the child can lead to an increased sense of vulnerability, helplessness and confusion that can stay with them a lifetime.	You can offer an abused child hope and possibility.
What We Do CASA of Santa Cruz County recruits, screens, trains and supervises volunteers to act on behalf of one child in the juvenile dependency court system. The CASA develops a one-on-one relationship with the child. CASA volunteers also work with attorneys and social workers. They review records, research information, and talk to anyone involved with the child, including parents, extended family members, doctors and teachers. From information gathered, a volunteer presents his or her best recommendations to the judge, for the safety and welfare of his or her CASA child. Very often, a case involving an abused child can slip through the cracks in the overburdened child welfare system. The best hope for that child is one pair of eyes and ears focused intently upon him or her. Those eyes and ears belong to that child's very own personal CASA volunteer.
Our Mission Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Cruz County provides a voice for abused and neglected children in the juvenile court process. • A CASA monitors the child's progress throughout the court proceedings while providing continuity and emotional support for the child. • A CASA assesses and informs the court of the child's needs, desires and progress. • A CASA works toward permanent and safe placement of the child in a timely manner. • CASA of Santa Cruz County educates the public and helps raise awareness of the plight of children involved in the dependency process.