Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County CASA program sees funding rise amid surge in abuse‑and‑neglect cases
Summary
Court and CASA leaders told the council that the number of children in abuse‑and‑neglect cases jumped in 2023 and remains elevated; CASA asked the council to appropriate matching county funds so the program can claim state matches and serve roughly 200 additional children.
Sarah Rice, executive director of the local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, told the council the county must appropriate local matching funds to secure state dollars and to continue serving children assigned to juvenile abuse and neglect cases.
Rice said the state sets CASA funding by statute and by prior‑year counts; local figures spiked in 2023 after several high‑profile cases and the number of children currently involved in active abuse and neglect cases exceeds 1,000. Rice said CASA volunteers provided more than 8,700 hours last year and that appointed children with CASA advocates typically return from foster care about eight months sooner than children without advocates.
Why it matters: Rice said the county’s appropriation is a statutory prerequisite to claim state matching funds and an additional dollar amount would fund about 200 more children in the coming year. She framed CASA as a cost‑effective intervention—reducing recidivism and shortening placements—while the court and county consider where to place the appropriation in the budget.
Council discussion and funding options - The council and Rice discussed potential funding sources, including existing county funds that have funded similar increases in the past. Rice noted the county is statutorily required to appropriate matching funds to remain eligible for the state match. - The program reported a current wait list of 651 children and said the recent growth places greater strain on volunteers and program capacity.
Ending Councilors acknowledged the increase and discussed funding options during the budget review; no appropriation decision was made during the hearing.
