When children have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are appointed by a judge to serve as the eyes and ears of the court to help the judge, by providing information. Mission
AMARILLO AREA CASA, will serve as a guide for abused and neglected children through support and training of court appointed volunteers and collaboration of othe
r partners for a safe, permanent, nurturing home. Company Overview
When children have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect, Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASA) are appointed by a judge to serve as the eyes and ears of the court to help the judge, by providing information, decide whether a child should stay with the parents, be placed with relatives, be placed in foster care or be freed for adoption. The CASA interviews the child, parents, family members, school officials, health providers and others who know the child’s history. CASA reviews all records assigned to the case including school, medical and caseworker reports. The CASA works with attorneys and other professionals involved in the case and then reports to the court, giving testimony in hearings, as to what they believe would be in the child’s best interest. CASA is the one constant they have in their lives as they move through the maze of a judicial system that will decide their future. After the children are taken into the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (TDFPS) custody, the state is court ordered to facilitate visitation for parents who are ordered to visit their children. The TDFPS office is not a neutral location for parents and children to meet for visits. Many parents are extremely angry at having to go back to the TDFPS office for any reason. Children are often anxious about going back to the TDFPS office because they associate the removal from their home and family as being caused by TDFPS. AACASA advocates in the best interest of abused and neglected children through and during this traumatic time in their life. The timeliness and environment in which court ordered supervised visits occur is of grave concern by AACASA, TDFPS workers and court judges. Studies show children who are removed from abusive environments at an early age are less likely to: become school drop-outs, become involved in juvenile crime, become involved in drug and alcohol use, participate in gang activities and commit violent acts against others. AACASA provides volunteer advocates who become vital contacts for children during these stressful and confusing events and a dedicated source of information for judges in determining life-changing decisions affecting the child’s future. AACASA plays a crucial role in providing abused children a safe and secure environment as they are reunited with the abuser during monitored visits. These visits are scheduled at the AACASA office and provide the parent an environment to demonstrate changes in behavior and have a chance to reunite with their child in a non-judgmental setting. AACASA is equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment used as a vital tool during the court process in review of child/parental meetings. CASA is there when a child needs someone most. In a system over-burdened by increasing caseloads, they make perhaps the single greatest difference in the life of a child affected by abuse or neglect. AACASA serves children in Potter, Randall, Briscoe, Swisher, Armstrong, Hutchinson and Carson counties of the Texas Panhandle.
