About Us
Williamson County CASAWhat We Do
Every day in this country, 1,900 children become victims of abuse or neglect. Every day.
These children are cast into a complex, chaotic and uncertain environment of courtrooms and foster care, through no fault of their own. They are often alone and scared.
Williamson County CASA stands alongside these children: speaking on their behalf in courtrooms, identifying safe homes for them to live in, and listening to their stories.
While we consider this our mission as a non-profit organization, we are dependent upon people like you for monetary and volunteer support. Helping the helpless is a responsibility we all share. Will you BE FOR THE CHILD with us?
How Does theProgram Work?
A child is introduced into the court system as a result of abuse or neglect in the home. A Williamson County Judge assigns a CASA advocate to that child and the advocate then becomes responsible for the welfare of that child as he or she moves through the system. That means managing and documenting all aspects of the case, making recommendations to the court on permanent living arrangements, communicating consistently with the child to ensure his or her best interests are being met for the short and long-term, and remaining actively engaged until the court discharges the case.
CASA volunteers are not therapists or official legal counsel. They are, in essence, a friend and responsible advocate with the goal of securing a solid home for a child so that he or she has a fighting chance to become a fulfilled, happy adult.
History
The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program was initiated in Seattle, Washington in 1977 by the Honorable David Soukup. Amidst an overwhelmed child welfare system, Judge Soukup realized that he did not have enough information to make an informed decision about the future of abused and neglected children coming before him. He felt that more individualized attention and time for gathering important facts would produce better outcomes for the children.
In Judge Soukup’s words, “In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courthouse at the end of the day and you said, ‘I’ve done my best; I can live with this decision.’,” he explains. “But when you’re involved with a child and you’re trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child’s growth into a mature and happy adult, you don’t feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You can’t walk away and leave them at the courthouse at 4 o’clock. You wonder, ‘Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all of the different things? Is this really right?'”
In his effort to become more informed in his decisions about the future of these children, Judge Soukup conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court. The program proved so successful that soon judges across the country adopted the program to use citizen advocates.
The U.S. Congress supported the expansion of CASA in 1990 when they passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today, more than 70,000 CASA volunteers are spread throughout 1,000 programs around the country. Because of CASA, more than 2 million children have found their way to a safe home. CASA is the only program of its kind. In the child welfare and family court systems, it was—and is—nothing short of a revolution. Everything is built around one child and one adult advocate for that child. And when a CASA volunteer is there, the child is two times more likely to find a safe, loving permanent home.
Williamson County CASA was established in 1993 by The Honorable Jane Crockett Franks. A mother of 12 children, Judge Franks recruited the first community leaders to serve on the Williamson County CASA Board of Directors and worked with the National CASA Association to train volunteer advocates. Overcoming the misconception that child abuse and neglect does not happen in an affluent community like ours, Jane Franks helped to educate and involve the community in the need for CASA services.
Since then, CASA volunteers have assisted with thousands of cases of abused or neglected children in Williamson County. As unsettling as it is, the demand for CASA volunteers and services increases annually. As the population of the region grows, so does the case load of the legal system, and subsequently, instances of neglect and abuse involving our local children.
Hear Our Stories
Chase was born prematurely to a drug-addicted mother who left the hospital immediately after his birth. When she didn’t return, the Department for Children’s Services and Juvenile Court stepped in – and a CASA volunteer was appointed to the case.
That CASA was the first person to ever hold the newborn. She visited Chase regularly, worked diligently, and ultimately helped find a safe and loving relative to take him in.
This is the type of impact our CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteers make on a regular basis. Today Chase wakes up every morning in a stable home thanks to that volunteer.
Advocate Stories
CASA volunteers are not therapists nor official legal counsel. They are, in essence, a friend & responsible advocate with the goal of securing a solid home for a child – so that he or she has a fighting chance to become a happy, fulfilled adult. Our CASA advocates are YOU!
Hear Storiesfrom Williamson County CASA Advocates
