Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving, and permanent home. Yet thousands of children across Illinois experience abuse or neglect each year, and many enter the foster care system without a consistent adult solely focused on their best interests.
As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, you can Change a Child's Story.™
The Need
More than 16,000 children will navigate an open child abuse or child neglect case in our state this year (2026), and Illinois has ranked last in the nation for achieving timely permanency for youth in the child welfare system. Many of these children find themselves living in foster care, and they report experiencing:
- Multiple changes in their placements and schools
- Delays in receiving critical services
- Uncertainty, anxiety, and higher risks of developing PTSD
Children in communities throughout Illinois need an advocate who will focus solely on their needs and best interests. Without consistent advocacy, the consequences of an overburdened system can follow them for a lifetime.
The CASA Volunteer
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteers are everyday people who step forward to become a voice for a child living in foster care. After receiving comprehensive training, CASA Volunteers are appointed by local judges to advocate for a child's best interests in the courtroom and beyond.
What makes CASA Volunteers unique in the child welfare system, is their singular focus on a child or set of siblings. While attorneys, caseworkers, and other professionals each play vital roles, they often juggle large caseloads and competing priorities. CASA Volunteers are assigned to one case at a time, allowing them to understand the child(ren)'s specific needs.
The duties of a CASA Volunteer include:
- Building a trusted, consistent relationship with a child or set of siblings
- Maintaining communication with the adults in a child's life (biological families, teachers, foster families, and professionals)
- Providing fact-based recommendations directly to the judge handling the child's case
The average volunteer reports giving 5-15 hours of CASA advocacy per month, including their monthly child visits, email/digital communication, and occasional presence in court and other meetings.
The Goal
CASA Volunteers make a lasting difference in a child's life. Their advocacy improves communication and ensures that children's needs and desires are being recognized in the court system.
Our goal is to ensure that every child has a CASA Volunteer by 2030. Help us advocate for more children in Illinois who have experienced abuse or neglect by taking the next steps to serve children in your community as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
