Programs

  • Fairfax CASA Advocacy Program

    FAIRFAX CASA PROVIDES A SINGLE-FOCUSED SERVICE AT THE REQUEST OF THE FAIRFAX COUNTY JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT. OPERATING UNDER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE COURT, FAIRFAX CASA CONTINUOUSLY RECRUITS, SCREENS, COMPREHENSIVELY TRAINS, AND PROFESSIONALLY SUPERVISES CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS FROM THE COMMUNITY TO SERVE AS COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA VOLUNTEERS) FOR ALL CHILDREN RESIDING IN THE COUNTY WHOSE FAMILIES ARE CITED FOR ABUSE AND NEGLECT. THE ROLE OF A CASA VOLUNTEER IS DEFINED IN THE CODE OF VIRGINIA. CASA VOLUNTEERS DO NOT MAKE A DETERMINATION OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT, BUT ARE EMPOWERED BY A COURT ORDER TO (1) CONDUCT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF EACH CASE; (2) MONITOR EACH CASE FOR COURT-ORDERED SERVICES; (3) WRITE AND SUBMIT A WRITTEN REPORT TO THE JUVENILE JUDGE HEARING THE CASE, ALONG WITH A RECOMMENDATION AS TO THE CHILD'S BEST INTEREST; AND, (4) ASSIST THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE, A GUARDIAN AD LITEM, FOR EACH CASE. IN SHORT, THE ORGANIZATION SEEKS TO ENSURE THAT EACH CHILD'S NEEDS ARE IDENTIFIED AND ADDRESSED, WITH THE GOAL OF LIVING IN A SAFE AND PERMANENT HOME. THROUGH THIS SERVICE TO THE COURT, THE INVOLVEMENT OF A CASA VOLUNTEER IN THE LIVES OF ABUSED OR NEGLECTED CHILDREN PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT INTERVENTION DURING A PERIOD OF INTENSE CRISIS FOR THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ALSO BE PREVENTIVE BY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING THE RECIDIVISM OF CHILDREN BACK INTO THE COURT SYSTEM FOLLOWING INITIAL CASE CLOSURE AND ALSO REDUCING FUTURE RISK OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ALONG WITH THE RISK OF REPEATING THE CYCLE OF ABUSE AS AN ADULT.IN PURSUIT OF THIS SINGLE FOCUSED OBJECTIVE, FAIRFAX CASA UNDERGIRDS ITS PROGRAM WITH STRONG GOVERNANCE AND IS DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING A HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO CARRY OUT ITS COURT-MANDATED DUTIES. A CORE ACTIVITY OF FAIRFAX CASA IS THE RECRUITMENT OF WELL QUALIFIED AND THOROUGHLY SCREENED VOLUNTEERS TO FULFILL THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMMATIC OBJECTIVE. 33 HIGHLY QUALIFIED VOLUNTEERS WERE SWORN INTO SERVICE DURING FY24. PROGRAMMATICALLY, FY24 WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR FAIRFAX CASA AS IT WAS ABLE TO SERVE 395 CHILDREN WITH THE DEDICATED ADVOCACY OF 167 VOLUNTEERS, THE MOST CHILDREN SERVED IN MORE THAN A DECADE. CASES CLOSED FOR 190 CHILDREN WHO WERE REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILY OR WERE ADOPTED. CASA VOLUNTEERS SUBMITTED 285 OBJECTIVE REPORTS TO THE COURT, WHICH INCLUDED MORE THAN 1,942 BEST INTEREST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHILDREN; JUDGES ACCEPTED AND ORDERED 92% OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. CASA VOLUNTEERS MADE 4,934 IN PERSON VISITS TO CHILDREN, 3,156 PHONE/TEXT/EMAIL CONTACTS, AND HAD 35,452 CONTACTS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS, DONATED 22,981 HOURS OF THEIR TIME TO THEIR CASES AND TRAVELED MORE THAN 141,892 MILES IN FURTHERANCE OF THEIR ADVOCACY DUTIES. IN ADDITION TO REQUIRING 35 HOURS OF PRE-SERVICE TRAINING, CASA VOLUNTEERS ARE REQUIRED BY THE CODE TO COMPLETE 12 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION/IN-SERVICE TRAINING ANNUALLY. TO MEET THIS REQUIREMENT, FAIRFAX CASA OFFERED 28 IN-HOUSE TRAININGS AND PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR 52 COMMNUNITY TRAININGS DURING THE YEAR. VOLUNTEERS COMPLETED A TOTAL OF 3,095 HOURS OF TRAINING, INCLUDING 349 HOURS OF INDEPENDENT, APPROVED STUDY.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jul 1, 2023 – Jun 30, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $750.2K

  • Program 1 [2025]

    FAIRFAX COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) PROVIDES A SINGLE, COURT-DIRECTED SERVICE AT THE REQUEST OF THE FAIRFAX COUNTY JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT. OPERATING UNDER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE COURT, FAIRFAX CASA RECRUITS, SCREENS, TRAINS, AND PROFESSIONALLY SUPERVISES COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS WHO SERVE AS COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASAS) FOR CHILDREN INVOLVED IN ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES. THE ROLE OF A CASA VOLUNTEER IS DEFINED IN THE CODE OF VIRGINIA AND INCLUDES CONDUCTING INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS, MONITORING COMPLIANCE WITH COURT-ORDERED SERVICES, SUBMITTING WRITTEN REPORTS WITH BEST-INTEREST RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE JUDGE, AND SUPPORTING THE CHILD'S GUARDIAN AD LITEM. CASA'S MISSION IS TO ENSURE THAT EACH CHILD'S NEEDS ARE IDENTIFIED AND ADDRESSED SO THAT EVERY CHILD CAN GROW UP IN A SAFE AND PERMANENT HOME. THE INVOLVEMENT OF A CASA IN THE LIVES OF ABUSED OR NEGLECTED CHILDREN PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT INTERVENTION DURING A PERIOD OF INTENSE CRISIS FOR THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE RECIDIVISM OF CHILDREN BACK INTO THE COURT SYSTEM FOLLOWING INITIAL CASE CLOSURE. ADDITIONALLY, CASA INTERVENTION HAS BEEN SHOW TO REDUCE FUTURE RISK OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND THE RISK OF REPEATING THE CYCLE OF ABUSE AS AN ADULT.IN PURSUIT OF THIS SINGLE FOCUSED OBJECTIVE, FAIRFAX CASA UNDERGIRDS ITS PROGRAM WITH STRONG GOVERNANCE AND IS DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING A HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO CARRY OUT ITS COURT-MANDATED DUTIES. A CORE ACTIVITY OF FAIRFAX CASA IS THE RECRUITMENT OF WELL QUALIFIED AND THOROUGHLY SCREENED VOLUNTEERS TO FULFILL THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMMATIC OBJECTIVE. 38 HIGHLY QUALIFIED VOLUNTEERS WERE SWORN INTO SERVICE DURING FY25. PROGRAMMATICALLY, FY25 WAS A VERY CHALLENGING YEAR FOR FAIRFAX CASA AS IT SERVED 404 CHILDREN WITH THE DEDICATED ADVOCACY OF 172 VOLUNTEERS. CASES CLOSED FOR 161 CHILDREN WHO WERE REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILY OR WERE ADOPTED. CASA VOLUNTEERS SUBMITTED 322 OBJECTIVE REPORTS TO THE COURT, WHICH INCLUDED MORE THAN 2,207 BEST INTEREST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHILDREN; JUDGES ACCEPTED AND ORDERED 93% OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. CASA VOLUNTEERS MADE 8,130 IN PERSON VISITS TO CHILDREN AND HAD OVER 36,600 CONTACTS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS, DONATED 23,210 HOURS OF THEIR TIME TO THEIR CASES AND TRAVELED MORE THAN 152,500 MILES IN FURTHERANCE OF THEIR ADVOCACY DUTIES. IN ADDITION TO COMPLETING 35 HOURS OF PRE-SERVICE TRAINING (AS WELL AS THREE HOURS OF COURT CASE OBSERVATIONS), CASA VOLUNTEERS ARE REQUIRED BY THE CODE TO COMPLETE 12 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION/IN-SERVICE TRAINING ANNUALLY. TO MEET THIS REQUIREMENT, FAIRFAX CASA OFFERED 22 IN-HOUSE TRAININGS AND PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR 102 COMMNUNITY TRAININGS DURING THE YEAR. VOLUNTEERS COMPLETED A TOTAL OF 1,377 HOURS OF TRAINING, AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL 590 HOURS OF INDEPENDENT, APPROVED STUDY.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jul 1, 2024 – Jun 30, 2025
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $772K