giving back Court Appointed Special Advocates Children’s Intervention Services
Giving Vulnerable Children a Voice and a Chance for a Better Life By Dominique McIndoe
C
asa, the Spanish word for home, is a fitting acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates Children’s Intervention Services. The nonprofit organization based in Manassas has worked since 1994 to provide a voice for abused and neglected children of all ages, and they help them find and thrive in safe, permanent, loving homes.
CASA CIS In our imperfect world, children are some of the most likely victims of abuse, neglect and violence. According to CASA CIS, over 1,700 children a day in the United States are confirmed as having been abused or neglected in some way. This is in no way exhaustive considering the number of crimes against children that go unreported. In Virginia in 2020, there were 33,380 reports of abuse, and at the end of the year almost 5,000 children remained in foster care. The numbers are alarming, but the encouraging news is that statistics also show that children who experience trauma fare better if they have one reliable, consistent adult in their lives. That’s where CASA CIS attempts to fill in the gap. They serve children in need in Fauquier, Prince William, Rappahannock and Warren counties, as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. “Every child we serve has experienced trauma at the hand of a trusted caregiver, and often the trauma continues as they are moved to a home with strangers, lose contact with family members and often move schools. It is heartbreaking. Our passion is to provide each child with an advocate to stand by them and be their voice,” says Lori Battistoni, Executive Director of CASA CIS since March 2021. “Children who have CASA advocates do better in so many ways. They are far more likely to find safe, permanent homes and half as likely to re-enter foster care. They receive better services and perform better in school.
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September 2021 prince william living
They are more likely to graduate and be successful adults.” Since its inception, CASA CIS has helped at least 200 children a year — serving at least 5,000 children in the past three decades. The organization’s lifeblood is the role of the CASA volunteer advocate.
The CASA Volunteer Advocate, a Voice for the Voiceless When CASA CIS receives a case from the local courts, they assign a volunteer to each child. That means the highly-trained volunteer, an independent appointee of the court, provides the judge of the case with in-depth research and background information about the child — information given by teachers, counselors, daycare workers and therapists, for example — to explain the child’s situation and help the court make the best decision concerning the child’s living situation. “We begin with investigating and talking to different parties in the child’s life,” says Stephanie Swift, a volunteer advocate who has worked with CASA for well over 16 years and has helped nearly 30 kids during that period of time. “Our job is being a
