DEAR FRIENDS,

In the past year, the California Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association has made significant strides in expanding our network’s capacity to provide one-to-one and systemic advocacy for children and youth in foster care. Together with the support of local communities, the state of California, generous individuals, and foundation partners, we have taken meaningful steps toward a brighter future for our most vulnerable children. Thank you for being an important part of our organization by supporting us in a variety of ways!

The heart of our mission is ensuring every child has the support of a Court Appointed Special Advocate. In 2023, 8,012 CASA volunteers served 11,261 youth across California, contributing 379,672 hours valued at $14,659,136. We are proud of these collective efforts, but there is more work to do, as California has the largest number of children in foster care in the nation.

We solidified our commitment to helping children and families through a new three-year strategic plan, aiming to provide a CASA volunteer for every child in foster care who needs one, and expanding our work to support youth in the juvenile justice system. California CASA-sponsored research correlated the value of CASA volunteers for these youth, leading to gains in self-efficacy, educational success, and reduced recidivism rates.

The strength of our network continues to grow. This year, Child Advocates of Placer County expanded services to Yuba County, making it the 52nd county in California to offer CASA volunteers! We introduced new services such as a Language Line translation service and the E-Learning Center to meet the diverse needs of our communities. Volunteer recruitment was bolstered by a statewide advertising campaign, encouraging individuals to become volunteers “Just by Being You” and a volunteer recruitment specialist worked with our local programs to create individual plans for recruitment. We also launched local advocacy teams to strengthen engagement with legislators at the grassroots level and continued to provide human resource services, strategic planning consultation, trainings, and technical assistance.

Significantly, California CASA allocated a second round of $16 million in grants to our 44 local programs. These funds, ranging from $8,500 to $3,295,807 with an average grant of $363,636, have strengthened local CASA programs’ ability to serve even more youth by improving recruitment, training, and innovation.

Despite a challenging budget year, the state legislature and Governor Newsom approved $20 million in funding for the CASA network, completing a three-year $60 million allocation from the 2022 Budget Act. California CASA led advocacy efforts to secure this funding with a Day at the Capitol, support letters, and testimony. We remain deeply grateful for the state’s prioritization of CASA volunteers and the youth we serve, and we continue to work towards long-term, sustainable funding.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our vision!

Together, we are making a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children and youth across California, providing them hope, stability, and opportunity.