CASA Kane County receives certification

CASA Kane County recently was awarded certification by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association. This certification recognizes that CASA Kane County is in compliance with National CASA's high standards for quality child advocacy.

According to Michael Piraino, CEO of the National CASA Association, "The National CASA quality assurance process is very rigorous, and reflects our commitment to ensure every child we serve has the most powerful volunteer advocate working on their behalf. This certification says CASA Kane County has demonstrated to us a strong capacity to provide excellent services to the abused and neglected children within their community."

The National CASA movement began in 1976 when a Seattle judge, concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected children's lives without sufficient information, conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court. These volunteers were meant to help ensure that the children would live in a safe and loving environment. So successful was this Seattle program, that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates.

In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA/GAL with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. There are now more than 950 National CASA member programs across the country, with more than 70,000 men and women serving as CASA or guardian ad Litem volunteers.

CASA Kane County was started in 1988. The organization's mission is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile Court system. Last year, the program's 220 CASA/GAL volunteers represented 523 children in Kane County. The demands of the court system are growing, and the program is recruiting volunteers for its January training session. For more information about serving as a CASA/GAL volunteer, call Deb McQuaid at (630) 444-3110, or visit www.casakanecounty.org.