Henrico County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc.
Change A Child's Story
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Henrico County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit child advocacy organization implemented through training and development of community volunteers, for the sole purpose of providing comprehensive advocacy services for every child victim in Henrico County. The final goal is to improve the quality of life of these children and ensure that they are eventually placed in safe, permanent homes. A CASA volunteer provides a judge with a carefully researched background of the child to help the court make a sound decision about that child’s future. Each case is as unique as the child involved. The CASA evaluates if it is in the child’s best interest to stay with his or her parents or guardians, be placed in foster care, or be freed for adoption. The CASA makes recommendations to the judge and follows through on the case until it is permanently resolved. CASA volunteers offer children trust and advocacy during complex legal proceedings. They explain to the child the events that are happening, the reasons they are in court, and the roles the judge, lawyers, and social workers play. CASA volunteers also encourage the child to express his or her own opinions and hopes, while remaining objective observers. CASA has been endorsed by the American Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court judges, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Where we work
Awards
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of new advocates recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
30 new volunteers were recruited, screened, and trained during 2021.
Number of hours of training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteer training includes 40 hours of in-depth instruction for new volunteers.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
385 children were served during the last fiscal year. The children served range in age from birth through eighteen years, and are racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse.
Number of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We offer multiple continuing education opportunities to volunteers each year.
Number of parents engaged in fewer acts of abuse and neglect of their children
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Traditionally none of our assigned children re-experience abuse while receiving Henrico CASA's advocacy services.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Court Appointed Special Advocates
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
100% of children assigned to Henrico CASA by a juvenile court judge was a assigned an advocate.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Henrico CASA’s recent strategic plan supports the agency’s overriding goal of reducing abuse and neglect in Henrico County. To accomplish our goal, Henrico CASA is committed to serving all children who are referred to us for court advocacy. This goal has been met with the assistance of up to 136 CASA volunteers who have served up to 400 children and 6 talented and passionate staff who are all supported by a 13-member board of directors. CASA uses highly trained volunteers to consistently accomplish its secondary goals. These goals include:
To provide the Court with independent factual information on which to base decisions in cases of child abuse/neglect;
To assist the Court and social services in assuring court orders are followed;
To provide advocacy for abused/neglected children who are the subject of judicial hearings;
To monitor cases involving abused/neglected children until the terms of a court order have been completely fulfilled;
To reduce the recurrence of abuse/neglect and to assist the Court and social services in attempting to break the cycle of child abuse; and
To educate the community about the problems of child abuse/neglect and to encourage community involvement in preventing abuse/neglect.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
-Staff will recruit, screen, and train high-quality volunteers to passionately advocate for all children referred to the program.
-Henrico CASA will offer an effective training program to prepare new volunteers for their advocacy role.
-Henrico CASA volunteers wlil conduct thorough investigations to determine appropriate service recommendations to include in their reports to judges, which will result in more children and families participating in court-ordered services.
-All assigned children will be kept safe from abuse while receiving advocacy services from Henrico CASA.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
When an abused or neglected child is referred by the Henrico County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Henrico CASA provides a trained volunteer to complete an independent evaluation of the child's circumstances by speaking to all family members and case professionals, visiting regularly with the child, and reviewing the child's physical and mental health, and school records.The volunteer will work closely with the child's social worker and guardian ad litem, providing additional information to both. Volunteers will collaborate with professionals who provide case management, legal representation, and counseling services. The advocate is directed by the Court to promote only that which is in the child's best interest. During this process the volunteer assists the child and their family in understanding the court process and will remain active with the child's case until a permanent decision is made by the Court. The final work product of the advocate's effort is a detailed report to the Court, complete with a case history, documented factual findings, and recommendations for the child's well-being. In addition to Henrico CASA's court advocacy program, the organization will work to promote and participate in collaborative efforts with other child-serving agencies on behalf of abused, at-risk, and truant children, and to raise community awareness in this area.
We have revamped our pre-service training curriculum by using a case study model. A 'real case' is incorporated into the 6-week training program. This hands-on process is the way our volunteers learn the best - they are better prepared for their duties.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In order to continue providing services to all referred children and improve program efficiency, we are focused on maintaining our committed volunteers, and also recruiting new dedicated volunteer advocates. Our program manager and volunteer coordinators are working to create a strategic plan to guide their volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition efforts over the next five years. The executive directors of the Metro Richmond region are also working together to use public relations and community resources to better brand the CASA name throughout the Richmond community.
Typically the Henrico CASA program conducts new volunteer training sessions (40 hours) twice a year with approximately twenty-five trainees participating. During fiscal year 15, Henrico CASA conducted a six-week training class in the fall of 2014, and hosted two sessions in the spring and summer of 2015. Each of the new volunteers have been/will be assigned cases and serve newly referred children. During their assignments, their respective volunteer coordinators will support their work through assisting them with their investigations and relevation documentation, report preparation, and attend all court hearings with them.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Henrico County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/24/2023
Mr. Chris Durand
Mr. Paul Ronson
DPR Construction
Term: 2022 - 2023
Kevin Bruny
Chesterfield County Director and Chief Learning Officer
Pat Hackler
Retired - Educator/Trainer
Jon Ganues
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Anne Preston Farmer
Community Volunteer
Betsy Beach
Community Volunteer
Christopher Durand
DPR Construction - Business Development
Mary Jo Sisson-Vaughan
VA Small Business Financing
Bryan Jenkins
RunSignup, VP of Sales
Paul Shively
Atlantic Group, LLC, Principal Owner/Broker
Dave Luck
CPA CFP, Advisor Financial Services, Inc.
Jessica Coburn
Cloudbeds
Rutherfoord Ferguson
Davenport & Co, LLC
Suzanne Mathias
Springfield Medical Center, Physician
Shannon Mitchell
VCU, Academic Economist
Paul Ronson
J.E. Liesfeld, Safety Manager
Adam Winston
Keneseth Beth Israel, Rabbi/Educator
Jeffrey Fielo
Retired
Douglas Nassif
Richmond Emergency Physicians, Inc.
Mel Tull
Bankers Insurance, LLC
Joy Jones
VCU, Graduate Student
Sarah Kurysz
Culinary Events Coordinator
Board leadership practices
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes