Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CASA director says most children in Monroe County lack court-appointed advocates
Summary
CASA of Monroe County reported about 70 children in foster care with only a small portion assigned CASA volunteers; the director urged recruitment and training for more advocates to reduce trauma and improve permanency outcomes.
Jerica Sharp (S14), director of CASA of Monroe County, presented the organization's 2024–2026 case numbers and volunteer statistics and urged community volunteers to train as court-appointed special advocates for children in foster care.
Sharp said Monroe County averaged 95 children in care in 2024, 83 in 2025 and about 70 so far in 2026. She reported CASA had 14 trained advocates with seven waiting for cases and that, at the time of the presentation, only six advocates were serving eight children on active assignments. "Right now, over 70 children in Monroe County are placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect," Sharp said, and noted that approximately 62 children in care did not have an assigned CASA advocate.
Sharp described the CASA volunteer training program (an eight-week, 30-hour curriculum), the nature of visits with children, and successful case outcomes where children reached permanency through reunification, guardianship or adoption. Commissioners thanked Sharp, asked questions about foster home structures and aging-out procedures, and several described support for volunteer recruitment and for working with courts to refer cases promptly.
Sharp asked interested community members to contact CASA and stressed that even a few hours a week can make a substantive difference in a child's case.
