CASA Partners 4NMKids

CASA Partners 4NMKIDS is a chapter organization of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate program. Our volunteer CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) undergo extensive training and are appointed by a judge to assist with child welfare cases which may involve a variety of parties (CYFD, biological parents, foster parents and all their respective attorneys), each with their own interests. Each CASA is assigned to one case at a time specifically to meet with the children involved in the case and determine what is in the child’s best interest. We currently have 40 trained CASAs working on cases in Valencia and Sandoval counties serving approximately 75 children and their families.
Our goal is that every abused or neglected child in the court system will have a trained, caring adult to advocate for them. To that end, we are constantly striving to:
-Build good relationships with the judges and attorneys in the legal system, and with the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD).
-Recruit and train more volunteers so that we can have advocates assigned to 100% of the cases in our judicial district.
-Utilize the unique position and perspective of the CASA to connect abused and neglected children and their caregivers with the resources they need for success.
-Work toward a permanent resolution in each case that best serves the needs of the children involved.