National CASA Training and Technical Assistance

The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, as amended (Public Law 101-647), mandates that all abused and neglected children involved in dependency proceedings receive timely, sensitive, and effective advocacy. The Act directs that a court-appointed special advocate shall be available to every victim of child abuse or neglect in the United States that needs such an advocate. The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program ensures that abused and neglected children receive high quality representation in dependency court hearings. This program is authorized by Section 217 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act, Pub.L. 101-647 (42 U.S.C. Section 13013).

This project will support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes. The project will expand volunteer advocacy to more children by providing technical assistance, training, awareness and outreach to local and state CASA programs, and will implement a quality assurance system to ensure that programs maintain the highest level of service. Results will be measured by growth in the number of children served and volunteers activated as well as in the increase of volunteers of color. NCA/NCF