Marin Advocates for Children

Target demographics: Abused and neglected children

Direct beneficiaries per year: 87 children

Geographic areas served: Marin County

Programs: The Marin CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program works within the Juvenile Court system to affect the outcome of a child's life. CASA recruits, trains and supports a highly committed corps of volunteers to stand up for the interests of abused, neglected and abandoned children. On an annual basis, we serve over 150 children ages infant to 18 years from various socio-economic levels throughout Marin County. With 5 full-time staff and over 70 dedicated volunteers, the agency provides individual and ongoing support of these children so they may have the opportunity to be nurtured to reach their full potential. Volunteer advocates are trained to make an independent assessment of the child's situation and make recommendations to the court, focusing on what is best for each child. CASAs meet and work with professionals who are performing the complex job of protecting children and helping parents get the services they need to reunify their families. The Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) works to prevent child abuse by: Acting as a resource for the community on questions of child abuse by providing referrals; giving classes for mandated reporters on their duties and responsibilities to report suspected child abuse under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Law; convening the first Child Death Review Team in the history of Marin County; holding council meetings where child welfare professionals and interested community members can work together to address issues related to the health and safety of children; providing seminars and conferences to the community on topics relevant to the work of preventing child abuse; and bringing together various agencies to develop innovative strategies for problems in the county relating to children, such as Family Finders, a collaboration of county and private foster care agencies to increase and support foster care families in Marin.