Mission Statement
CASA of San Luis Obispo County advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for this vulnerable population with the goal of ensuring that each and every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home.
We advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children…
In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge found himself making decisions about abused and neglected children’s lives without sufficient information. He conceived the idea to use trained community volunteers to speak for the interests of these children in court.
This Seattle program was so successful that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.
CASA of San Luis Obispo County has been providing advocacy for local children since 1993. We are a local partner of National CASA which oversees a network of over 1,050 local community program offices supporting volunteers serving children. While the role of local CASA programs is to recruit, train and support volunteers in their work with abused children, the role of National CASA is to offer critical leadership and support to provide quality advocacy and lead the continued growth of the CASA network. National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association stages an annual conference, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and promotes CASA through public relations efforts. National CASA offers consultation and resources that help start CASA programs and provides vital assistance to established programs.