Family Advocate Program

Family advocates works through its two initiatives, the court appointed special advocates (casa) Program and the Family strengthening education Program (fsep) to strengthen families and keep kids safe. The casa Program connects children involved in an active child protection case with a highly trained volunteer known as a guardian ad litem (gal). This volunteer serves as the child's voice in court throughout the life of their case, ensuring their best interests are expressed in court. Last year the casa Program served all 551 of the children referred to them in the fourth judicial district. The donated time and mileage to serve those children through 177 gals and 86 pro-bono attorneys saved counties and taxpayers 1,191,879.

Family advocates works through the Family strengthening education Program (fsep) to provide education courses to caregivers and their children. Fsep provides families with the tools, training, and support needed to help mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect and create strong, healthy families. Last year, fsep held 19 courses that served 124 caregivers and children many of whom received concrete resources such as diapers, shampoo, or school supplies.