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Abuse and neglect are growing problems in Geauga County.
Want to Learn More about Child Abuse in Geauga County?
In the past three years, the number of new cases of abused and neglected children entering the court system has risen by 25% each year.
To learn more about the problem and what’s being done to combat it, register below.
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Last year, 144 children in Geauga County entered the juvenile court system as victims of abuse and neglect.
Babies. Toddlers. Elementary school kids. Pre-teens and teens. All living in families with serious issues of substance abuse, domestic violence and mental illness.
How CASA Helps
CASA volunteers, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, are volunteers who represent the “best interest” of a child when family problems such as substance abuse, mental health issues and domestic violence result in child abuse and neglect.
Sworn in as Officers of the Court after completion of training and support by professional staff, CASA volunteers are ordinary people who learn all they can about the family and child, and then report back to the judge with facts and recommendations.
After gathering information from parents, teachers, relatives, counselors and other authorities, the CASA volunteer prepares a report for the juvenile court judge and recommends whether the child can be reunited with parents, or whether the child needs to be in a foster home or adopted. The CASA volunteer also recommends services the family can use to improve a situation.
While the best-case scenario is when parents are able to work on getting their children back, there are some cases where parents just cannot overcome their drug addiction or mental health problems. In either outcome, CASA volunteers work as a team with other caring professionals in Geauga County to help families in crisis.
How Friends of CASA Helps
Friends of CASA helps support victims of abuse and neglect by paying for necessities not afforded to them -- – things like summer camps, braces, athletic shoes and pool passes. Things that go a long way to making them feel less like victims and more like every other kid.
Friends of CASA also helps ensure the necessary resources for the court-based CASA program to effectively advocate for the victims. Friends of CASA helps defray training costs and other expenses for people who volunteer as CASAs. We give CASAs gas cards and pay for their enrollment in seminars that deal with issues of abuse and neglect.
Finally, we run various programs and events – like Safety Day in the fall – designed to raise awareness of abuse, serve the community’s needs and raise money through sponsorships and admission fees.
Typically, Friends of CASA funds over $20,000 in enrichment programs for children and training and support activities for CASA advocates.
Faces of CASA
2009 CASA Graduates
