About CASA of Baltimore

Thousands of children in Baltimore City are not safe living with their families. We can’t control where these children come from but we can have a positive impact on where they end up! It takes all of us, everyday people, to stand up and commit to making a meaningful difference in the lives of abused and neglected children. It starts, very simply, with one volunteer at a time.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc., is a private, non-profit agency, tax-exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) whose mission is to provide a voice for abused and neglected children involved in the juvenile court system. This voice is provided by professionally trained and supervised community volunteers who step up and who speak out, one voice at a time…

The honorable David B. Mitchell, then Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court of Baltimore City, established CASA of Baltimore, Inc., in 1988. The program, which was originally operated by the University of Maryland School of Social Work and then as a program of Advocates for Children and Youth, Inc. became an independent agency in 1995.

CASA of Baltimore believes that children’s potential for success is compromised when faced with challenges of substance abuse, mental health issues, and neglectful or abusive parenting in their families. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers play a very important role in these children’s futures

CASA of Baltimore volunteers serves only Juvenile Court cases of child abuse and neglect. The Juvenile Court reports that in Baltimore City Judges and Masters conduct approximately 30,000 child maltreatment hearings per year. Approximately 70% of the children in the child welfare system in the State of Maryland are Baltimore City children and an overwhelming majority of these cases come into the system as a result of maltreatment caused by parental substance abuse. Decisions affecting these children’s futures are often made on the basis of sketchy or erroneous information under pressured and chaotic circumstances making it extremely difficult for these children’s individual situations to receive adequate attention.

The CASA volunteers are independent of bureaucratic constraints that may influence the decisions of our local institutions and government agencies. Volunteers bring a much needed outside perspective to our court and child welfare system. CASA volunteers also address some of the interpersonal problems that may be associated with child abuse and neglect and subsequent foster care placement. CASA volunteers can offer consistency often lacking in these children’s lives and a model of care and support.