Child neglect and a lack of proper care provided by parents are some of the most disturbing problems America faces. Despite the awareness, drug abuse with parents continues to rise and the child foster care system is flooded with children in desperate need of foster homes and case advocates. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) does the best that they can to advocate for neglected children in the courtroom. This paper will address the history of CASA and an analysis of its effectiveness. There are many challenges the foster care system faces and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program has effectively worked to support the goal of helping abused children and neglected children by placing them in the right home. The foster care system
…show more content…
The child advocacy programs came later beginning in the 1960s. In the 1970s, 500,000 children were in the foster care system and not in permanent homes. The problems rose regarding lack of childcare, abuse, lack of stable parents and this triggered a need for child advocates. In the 1970s, child advocacy programs were created to respond to this societal crisis. A group of individuals who were concerned with child welfare argued that in order to fix these issues, child advocacy was needed. Social advocacy groups like the National Association of Child Advocates and other groups voiced their opinion and fought for children’s rights. These groups were concerned with abused and neglected children and they succeeded in helping to pass federal laws to address a variety of children’s issues. The Court Appointed Special Advocates program began within this time period of social progression, but the program focused on helping children that needed permanent homes that were in the juvenile court …show more content…
The volunteers advocate for both the children and parents when they research and investigate on the homes. Sometimes they make tough decisions to remove the child from their current home because the parents not able to provide adequate care. In these situations, they provide supportive services to parents, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation. As Litzerflener notes in her article, Case Advocacy in Child Welfare, “In cases involving children, a conflict is inherent because children’s wishes and their best interests may not be the same.” This is why volunteers may take up to 2 years to make a final decision, much of this time is spent fact finding and investigating the family before the case is
The child advocacy programs came later beginning in the 1960s. In the 1970s, 500,000 children were in the foster care system and not in permanent homes. The problems rose regarding lack of childcare, abuse, lack of stable parents and this triggered a need for child advocates. In the 1970s, child advocacy programs were created to respond to this societal crisis. A group of individuals who were concerned with child welfare argued that in order to fix these issues, child advocacy was needed. Social advocacy groups like the National Association of Child Advocates and other groups voiced their opinion and fought for children’s rights. These groups were concerned with abused and neglected children and they succeeded in helping to pass federal laws to address a variety of children’s issues. The Court Appointed Special Advocates program began within this time period of social progression, but the program focused on helping children that needed permanent homes that were in the juvenile court …show more content…
The volunteers advocate for both the children and parents when they research and investigate on the homes. Sometimes they make tough decisions to remove the child from their current home because the parents not able to provide adequate care. In these situations, they provide supportive services to parents, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation. As Litzerflener notes in her article, Case Advocacy in Child Welfare, “In cases involving children, a conflict is inherent because children’s wishes and their best interests may not be the same.” This is why volunteers may take up to 2 years to make a final decision, much of this time is spent fact finding and investigating the family before the case is