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Family Law CASA of King County 

Description

Family Law CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) serves as the voice of children in court when their parents are involved in contested paternity, divorce, and third party custody cases. We work to ensure the best possible environment for children in tough custody cases in King County. The children we serve are from low-to-moderate-income homes, and more than half are six years old or younger. Most of our cases involve allegations of domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness.

Mission Statement
Family Law CASA advocates for children in some of King County's toughest contested custody cases so they have the best chance possible for a safer, more secure home life.
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Family Law CASA of King County
811 First Ave Ste 201 
Seattle 
WA
98104 
(206) 748-9700 

Caroline D. Davis 
Executive Director 

Programs

Family Law CASA of King County Programs

Our organization utilizes a pool of over 180 trained volunteer advocates who have undergone over 21 hours of intensive training and are supervised, guided, and advised by our professional staff. Our advocates perform extensive investigations - interviewing the child and family members, reviewing school records, background checks and more. They then create written reports, providing an unbiased view to the court on what is in the best interest of the child or children.

When the custody of a child comes before the court, the court usually has very little reliable information. The parents and guardians are generally battling and the best interest of the child is frequently not represented. When this occurs, the court appoints Family Law CASA, and we provide the court with an objective view of the home environment. A quote from a recent survey of judges states "Thanks to the CASA program, I was able to 'hear from the child' and make the best decision possible".

Family Law CASA is dedicated to providing the best home environment possible for children. Each case Family Law CASA is assigned is thoroughly screened for domestic violence; in the instances where domestic violence is found, we provide referrals to domestic violence counseling for the abused party, treatment for the batterer, and counseling for the child(ren). Our volunteers are also trained to identify childhood development indicators and often refer children to educational services.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

One recent case involved a pre-teen boy living with his mother. The mother had an undiagnosed mental illness and hoarded animals and objects. The boy was being relentlessly teased at school because of the odor of his clothing. The boy was slowly dropping out of school - his attendance was poor and he was failing most subjects. The father petitioned for custody and our advocate recommended the father have custody. The boy moved in with his father, changed schools, and is now excelling.

Family Law CASA is funded entirely through community support. With King County's budget cuts looming, Family Court Services (a King County program) will likely close. This will leave Family Law CASA as the only organization accessible to low-income families involved in family court. With our current level of resources, we are at capacity. Our strategic plan calls for increasing our case load, but without the funding we are unable to proceed with the increase.

Evaluation


Family Law Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) provide support for children whose parents are involved in contested paternity, divorce, and third party custody cases. Most cases involve young children from low income families with domestic violence, substance abuse, and/or mental health issues. CASAs are trained volunteers who gather in depth information about the child and the home environment in an attempt to make a recommendation for their long term wellbeing. This is done through interviews with the child and the family, review of school records, background checks, etc, and then a written recommendation is prepared for the court.

Use of Best Practices
Advocates undergo in-depth training before working with children and their families. Training is especially focused on screening for domestic violence. Professionals from the community present on topics such as substance abuse, mental health issues, and family law. Family Law CASA refers parents to counseling, domestic violence, and basic needs organizations as part of their service to the family. As a result, they developed an extensive directory of resources for their clients that is also available to the wider community through their website.

Leadership
Family Law CASA has undergone changes in leadership in both executive and board roles. The Executive Director has been functioning in both staff attorney and executive director roles, not leaving much time for fund development and organizational leadership. The transition so far has been smooth and the ED reports that being able to provide more supervision to staff is greatly beneficial to the organization. The Board of Directors has also undergone major shifts and as of Summer 2012, has all new (no founding) members. Board recruitment and training is a focus of the new five year strategic plan.

Sustainability
Stabilizing funding sources are a major component of the newly completed strategic plan. Their long range plans for sustainability include overall changes to their fundraising strategy, including a board driven initiative around cultivating major donors. They recently received a significant bequest that will support recruitment of diverse advocates and retention of advocates overall. The funds will also support a private study through UW on the impact of Family Law CASA’s work on families, three years after the case is settled.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
9/10/2009 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/21/2007 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/16/2005 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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