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YLS Special Issue
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PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN
A
t any time, there are more than
5,700 children in Cook County’s
foster care system. Experiencing
forms of abuse and neglect, these children
have found themselves in the foster care
system by no fault of their own. For many,
their CASA volunteer will be the only
constant adult figure in their lives while
they are in foster care. Court Appointed
Special Advocates or “CASA” was started
in Seattle in 1977 by Judge David W.
Soukup. Research has shown that a child
with a CASA volunteer spends less time
in the foster care system than children
without one. Once assigned to a case by
a judge, CASA volunteers spend 10-15
hours a month visiting children they are
assigned to, collaborating with caseworkers
and attorneys, meeting with therapists and
teachers of the children, and talking with
natural and foster parents. These activities
are then compiled into a court report that
is submitted to the judges and all parties on
a child’s case. Judges rely on these reports
when making decisions about the future
of these children.
Unfortunately, only 1% of the children
By Jason Marcus Waak
TheWork of CASA with Children in Foster Care
44
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017
Chicago Volunteers Create a Better
Future