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Last updated on November 8, 2007

CASA of Baltimore, Inc
Mission: To advocate for safe, permanent homes and the emotional, social, intellectual, well-being of children in Baltimore City, who due to abuse, neglect and/or abandonment are under protection of the Court.
Thousands of Baltimore City children are not safe living with their own families. We can’t control where these children come from but we can have something to do with where they end up. These children deserve the same things as your children or children you know…they deserve a permanent home, a caring environment, appropriate education and necessary services to help achieve a better life. CASA of Baltimore strives to help all children in the child welfare system in Baltimore City have hope for a positive future.

Description:
Children in the child welfare system may be in placements outside their families’ homes in order to be safe from abuse and/or neglect. Court Appointed Special Advocate programs exist because the child welfare system is overwhelmed and children fall through the cracks.
The essential role of the CASA volunteer is to advocate for the best interests of their child clients. Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers, supervised by professional CASA staff, are given authority by the Court to review Court and Department of Social Services records, interview parents, foster parents, teachers, social workers, attorneys, relatives and other relevant people involved with the child’s life. The CASA volunteer also has the authority to visit the home, the school and the child’s placement. All investigations include meeting the child and establishing a relationship that enables the CASA volunteer to understand what services and permanency plans are in this child’s best interest. The volunteer maintains regular contact with the child, building a relationship that provides support and continuity. Recommendations are made to the Court in the form of a written report at each court hearing which is attended by the CASA volunteer who is accompanied by a CASA staff person.
CASA Volunteers are independent of bureaucratic constraints that often keep those employed by our local institutions playing by the rules that are outdated or make less than common sense. Volunteers bring a much needed outside perspective to our court and child welfare system.
CASA volunteers can offer consistency often lacking in these children's lives and a model of care and support, a “corrective experience” for those youth who have experienced neglectful or abusive relationships.
Study after study indicates that without appropriate intervention, abused and neglected children are much more vulnerable than their peers to drug abuse, teen pregnancy, mental illness, homelessness, unemployment and crime. With inaction we set these children up for failure. With action, we make a difference in the lives of these children.

History:
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc is one of fourteen CASA programs in the State of Maryland and one of almost 900 programs nationwide. CASA of Baltimore, Inc has operated since 1988, first as a program of the University of Maryland Schools of Social Work and Law and then as a program of Advocates for Children and Youth, Inc. In 1995, CASA of Baltimore, Inc became an independent, private, non-profit 501 c-3 organization. In Baltimore City, approximately 200 children each year for the past 3 years have received CASA volunteer services. CASA of Baltimore, Inc. received a Certificate of Compliance with National CASA standards for member programs, in July, 2004, demonstrating quality program management.

Contact people:

Cindy Griner, Volunteer Recruitment Manager, (phone), (email) Susan Burger, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Linda Koban, Asst. Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (410) 244-1460

Address:

PO Box 13004 Baltimore, MD 21203

Web Site: http://www.casabalt.org

Directions:

office location: 511 E. Baltimore Street between Gay Street and President Street, across the street from the Central Police District.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Market Place,   Walk distance (in minutes): <5 min

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