Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare Casa topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CASA asks commissioners for $15,000 to expand volunteer advocacy for children in foster care
Summary
Charity Alpert, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), asked the commission for $15,000 to support recruitment, training and operations as the program increases caseload coverage in Montgomery County.
Charity Alpert, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Montgomery County, told commissioners the nonprofit is expanding volunteer advocacy for children in foster care and requested a $15,000 county contribution to support operations and growth.
Alpert said CASA recruits and trains community volunteers to advocate for children with petitions alleging abuse or neglect; volunteers provide continuity for children who may experience high caseworker turnover. "We had 68 children close their cases last year and found permanency," Alpert said, noting CASA volunteers provide judges additional information when making permanency decisions.
Why it matters: CASA volunteers are court-appointed advocates intended to improve outcomes for children in foster care by providing judges with consistent case information, visitation notes and status updates. Alpert said Montgomery CASA currently advocates for about 180 children in the county and needs funding to recruit and train more volunteers to match demand.
Budget request and context: Alpert asked the commission to increase county support from prior $10,000 allocations to $15,000. She said CASA maintains operating funds through a mix of federal grants and local fundraising and that the program's operating budget remains under $200,000.
Outcome: Commissioners did not vote; they acknowledged prior support and said they would consider the request and follow up.
Ending: The commission will take the funding request under advisement; CASA requested the increase to expand volunteer capacity so judges do not have cases without a volunteer advocate.
