Who We Are

THE CASA MISSION

CASA of San Luis Obispo County advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for this vulnerable population with the goal of ensuring that each and every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home.
The San Luis Obispo
CASA Numbers
1
# of current Volunteers
1
# of Children served
1
# of current staff

We advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children...

We transform the lives of abused, abandoned, and neglected children by providing them with a dedicated, trained and supervised volunteer, known as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA. This CASA volunteer serves a child one-on-one, primarily spending social time with the child and helping to assure the child’s needs are met.
With the goal of ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, permanent home, we recruit, train, and supervise local volunteers who advocate for children in the court system. CASA volunteers are just like you–a caring adult member of our community.

CASA of San Luis Obispo County

CASA of San Luis Obispo County, is a local non-profit, assigned by the courts to assist children who have been removed from their parents because of abuse or neglect. The children we serve are in every town in the county, represent every age, ethnicity, culture, and range across all economic groups.

Our History

A Judge Needing Information Started a Movement

In 1977, a Seattle juvenile court judge found himself making decisions about abused and neglected children’s lives without sufficient information. He created a program for community volunteers to speak for the interests of these children in court.

The success of the Seattle program inspired judges across the country to leverage the power of citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S.Congress encouraged the expansion of Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.

CASA of San Luis Obispo County has provided advocacy for local children since 1993. We are a local member of National CASA, which oversees a network of over 1,050** programs of local volunteers serving local children. At our office, we recruit, train, and support volunteers in their work with abused children IN OUR COUNTY. By law there can only be one CASA program for each court jurisdiction. CASA of San Luis Obispo County is the designated program for San Luis Obispo County. All funds raised are spent in this county to help local children.

National CASA provides critical leadership and leads the continued growth of the CASA network. The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association stages an annual conference, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and promotes CASA through public relations efforts. National CASA offers consultation and resources that help start CASA programs and provides vital assistance to established programs.

Please consider volunteering your time and / or supporting CASA with your tax-deductible donation.

The Superior Court of California

County of San Luis Obispo

CASA volunteers are sworn officers of the court committed to advocating for the best interest of their assigned children.

Our county’s foster care system benefits from many committed and passionate professionals. But, by the nature of the work, each of these people serves dozens of children–and their parents.

Only the CASA volunteer focuses on the best interests of one specific child (or sibling group). A CASA volunteer sees the child weekly, writes a report every six months, and affects the outcome of a child’s life.