Southeast CASA Program

Southeast CASA Program provides child advocacy services for abused and neglected children from Bon Homme, Clay, Turner, Union and Yankton counties who have been placed in foster care. Our mission is to promote and protect the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through the advocacy efforts of trained volunteers.

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate Southeast CASA Program seeks to promote and protect the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through the advocacy efforts of CASA Child Advocate Volunteers. We train qualified adults to advocate in court for abused and neglected children. The CASA volunteer has a Court Order appointing them as the advocate for the children in a specific Abuse & Neglect case. The volunteer's reports to the Court provide factual information about the best interests of the child, and any concerns there are about the parents ability to provide a safe home for their child/children. CASA gives a child a voice in court. CASA volunteers have one case at a time, and the average time of a CASA case is 12 months. CASA does this advocacy work because no child should be invisible or unheard when decisions are being made about his or her permanent home. Children receiving CASA advocacy services are less likely to re-enter foster care, have better school attendance, do better in school, are involved in more activities, develop better social skills, receive more services while in foster care, and are less likely to repeat the cycle of abuse and neglect with their own families some day.