The Kansas CASA Association (KCA) supports 20 local CASA programs across Kansas in their mission to recruit, train, and empower volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in court. Since 1991, KCA has worked to enhance local program success through:
- Program Support: Providing technical assistance, training, and tools to improve program management and volunteer impact.
- Volunteer Recruitment & Awareness: Coordinating efforts to recruit volunteers and raise awareness about child abuse and neglect.
- Advocacy & Resources: Advocating for child welfare improvements and securing funding to support local programs.
- Technology & Data: Offering state-of-the-art systems for tracking outcomes and managing cases.
- Statewide Growth: Guiding new CASA program start-ups in unserved areas.
Together, we strive to ensure every child in Kansas foster care has a dedicated voice in court.
Mission
To enhance the success of existing and developing Kansas Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs with sustainable resources, training, partnerships, and funding.
Vision
A CASA volunteer for every child in the Kansas foster care system, that provides one-on-one advocacy for children in the child welfare/court system.
CASA History
The CASA Movement
The late Judge Soukup was a giant of a man in the CASA/GAL network and around court and child welfare innovation. When he started the first CASA program in King County (Seattle), Washington in 1977, the number of children in foster care topped half a million nationally and a new phrase, foster care drift, became a way to describe the increasingly long time many children spent in foster care.
Concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected children’s lives without sufficient information, Judge Soukup conceived the idea of using carefully screened and trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of children in court. In 1977, he created a legacy that continues to flourish today throughout the country and with the dedicated efforts of almost 100,000 volunteers, serving nearly a quarter of a million children annually. Full Article...
