More than 11,000 children in Georgia are in foster care, including more than 3,000 in metro Atlanta. For hundreds of those children, there is still no advocate assigned to their case, meaning important decisions about their lives can be made without someone in the room whose only job is to be on their side.
That is where Atlanta CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, comes in. The nonprofit recruits, trains and supports volunteers who advocate for children in foster care in Fulton County and metro Atlanta, helping ensure their voices, needs and circumstances are considered in court and throughout the child welfare system.
“A court-appointed special advocate is an individual that actually serves as a volunteer,” said Atlanta CASA CEO Domonique Cooper. “They come in to help to advocate and amplify the voice of a child or children that are in the foster care system.”
CASA volunteers visit children regularly, speak with teachers, caregivers and social workers, monitor services and provide judges with independent recommendations focused on the child’s best interests. Volunteers often remain with a child for the duration of a case, which averages about two years.
Research cited by CASA shows children with a CASA volunteer experience fewer placement changes, are more likely to succeed in school, achieve permanency through reunification or adoption, and are about half as likely to reenter foster care later in life. Children assigned a CASA also report higher levels of hope and stronger academic and behavioral outcomes.
“The very idea that a kid has a CASA, or court-appointed special advocate, changes the trajectory of their life completely,” Cooper said. “You get [results] like children graduating from high school, going off to post-secondary education environments, military or trade school that otherwise would not have done so.”
The work often centers on building trust through consistency.
“We have a one-to-one ratio where that CASA volunteer is meeting with… one kid at a time,” Cooper said. “They’re hearing things that others wouldn’t hear because it is that one-on-one type thing.”
Cooper knows the impact personally. Before becoming CEO, she served as a CASA volunteer and worked with a 10-year-old boy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The child was eventually adopted and is now thriving in high school.
One memory still stands out.
“I remember taking him a cupcake to his school when he was in fifth grade because he shared with me that he had never had someone to celebrate his birthday,” Cooper said. “Seeing the light on his face when I came in with the cupcake… I promised him something. I came through with it.”
Atlanta CASA and CASA of Henry County will highlight that mission during the first-ever Driving Change for Children Golf Classic on Sept. 15 at Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club, 100 Crystal Lake Blvd. in Hampton. Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The event is ticketed and open to the public, with proceeds supporting volunteer recruitment, training and education efforts. Click here to purchase tickets.
Cooper hopes attendees leave with a better understanding of CASA’s work and a desire to get involved.
“I want CASA to become a household name,” Cooper said. “I want individuals to know who we are, what we do, who we support and feel compelled to get involved with us.”
For children navigating foster care, one consistent adult can make all the difference. Atlanta CASA’s message to the community is simple: They need your help.
