Keeping Our Promises: National CASA’s Strategic Plan 2009-2013

Mission Statement

The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, together with its state and local members, is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy so that every abused or neglected child can be safe, establish permanence and have the opportunity to thrive.

Vision Statement

In changing the course of children’s lives, we envision a changed society. To achieve that vision, in partnership with the CASA/GAL network nationwide, we make two promises to every child who has a CASA or guardian ad litem volunteer:

• We will work with our network as a highly functioning team to ensure that every child finds a safe, permanent and nurturing home–with their own families where possible or if not, in adoptive families that respect their culture and connections.  
• While we work together toward a long-term solution, we will make each child’s current well-being a top priority–at home, at school and in their communities.

Key Strategies

In collaboration with our state organizations and local programs, National CASA will:

• Provide children with the highest quality advocacy from a diverse pool of volunteers who are screened, trained and supported using state-of-the-art information and techniques
• Reduce disproportionality and ensure equitable outcomes for children, regardless of race, through National CASA’s internal and network-wide racial equity efforts
• Prepare youth for a successful transition into early adulthood
• Raise positive awareness of the CASA/GAL mission in order to increase community support, diversity of volunteers and financial support for our network
• Strengthen the capacity of local and state CASA/GAL programs to provide quality advocacy for abused and neglected children through development and implementation of a capacity building initiative