A CASA for Every Child

1
A CASA for Every Child

• Full Implementation of CASA in Oregon An
  Eight-Year Strategic Plan

2
The Goal isFull Implementation of CASA

• A CASA for every child
• Every CASA is a well trained, independent voice,
  supervised by accountable programs that are
  adequately staffed and funded
• CASA programs follow state and national standards
  through a system of statewide coordination and
  oversight

3
Child Abuse and Neglect Victims

• 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
  2003 2004 2005
• Reporting changed from calendar year to FFY in
  2003 to conform with federal reporting
  requirements.
• Reproduced from The Status of Children in
  Oregons Child Protection System 2005

4
Closing the Gap

• CASA volunteers serve approximately 30 of the
  eligible children in Oregon
• The other two-thirds, or approximately 8,000
  children, is the gap we are trying to close

5
Eight-Year Strategic Plan
Current Funding and Service Levels
Funding Strategies and Program Development
Strategies
Full Implementation

• Build on the 2000 CASA Planning and Advisory
  Committees recommendations
• Implement concurrent funding and program
  development strategies

6
CASA Funding Sources 1999-2013
Annual Number of Children Served
3,494 3,927
4,000 4,200
6,000 9,000
13,000
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Funding and Capacity Building
Relationship of Funding,
Capacity Building, and Children Served
Funding
Children
Served
8
Phase One Funding Strategies

• Increase state, federal, local government and
  private funding sources
• State Funding
• OCCF Budget development
• Legislative and other state level strategies
• Federal Funding
• Work closely with National CASA Association to
  identify and develop funding sources
• Local Government Funding
• Develop PR/Communication Strategies to alert
  communities of the benefits of CASA
• Engage City and County commissioners to become
  champions for CASA
• Diversify Private Funding
• Develop local strategic plans including outreach
  to individual donors, local businesses and
  foundations
• Increase the individual and community giving,
  reducing dependency on foundation support

9
Phase One Program Development Strategies

• Local Strategic Planning
• Training for CASA Directors
• Volunteer Recruitment, Training Supervision and
  Retention
• Increase Local Program and State Support Staffing
• Engage Peer Mentors for Training and Assistance
• Data Management Reporting Systems

10

• To give a child a CASA volunteer 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. I believe that with all my heart.
• Pamela Butler, former foster child
• now a student at the University of Oregon

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Children Benefit with a CASA An Evidence-Based
Program

• Consistent caring adult advocating for their
  educational, mental-dental-physical health,
  cultural and developmental needs.
• Increased self esteem, value of achievement, self
  control and positive choices
• Fewer placement changes
• Greater likelihood of returning home or being
  adopted and of permanency
• Children and parents access more, and more
  appropriate, services

12
Benefits of CASA for Courts and Child Welfare
System

• CASAs are most often appointed in the most
  difficult cases where there is
• extreme abuse
• instability of placement
• conflicting case information
• concern about service implementation
• CASAs consistently maintain contact with the
  child... and often provide information that is
  not available to the court from other sources.
• Evaluation of Oregons Court Appointed Special
  Advocate Program-2002 Judicial Survey

13
CASA Legislative Mandate

• In 1987, the Oregon Legislature mandated that
  every child in a dependency case should be
  appointed a CASA volunteer.
• CASA first started in 1985 as pilot programs in
  Multnomah and Josephine Counties. Now, a CASA
  program operates in every county.
• CASA programs are community based, locally
  operated and approved by the juvenile court.

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Cost Savings Example

• 10,000 Oregon children in foster care at an
  average cost of 5,060,000 in foster care
  payments per month
• National Research suggests that CASA reduces
  re-entry by 50 and shortens time in foster care.
• Currently in Oregon, 8.6 of abused and neglected
  children in State custody re-enter the States
  care within 12 months.
• Reducing re-entry by 430 children is estimated at
  2.6 million per year in foster care payments
  alone.
• Reducing the median length of stay in foster care
  by just one month is estimated at 5M.

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Next Steps

• Phase One Investment
• Foundation grant proposal due July 2006
• OCCF Budget and Policy Development
• Opportunities Ahead