Photo-Outcomes

Outcomes and Goals

Our long-term goal is to serve 50 percent of all children in the Jackson County court system by 2012.

2009 Outcomes and 2010 Goals

In Missouri during 2007, 52,979 child abuse and neglect cases involving 77,481 children were reported to the Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline Unit of the Missouri Department of Social Services.

The vast majority of the children currently n the court system (approximately 2,500) are represented by the Office of the Guardian ad Litem (OGAL), which employs seven attorneys and seven support staff.

600 – 800 new children are referred to the system every year. While OGAL performs this daunting task very impressively, we firmly believe that every child in the court system deserves a CASA.

CASA-served children are Jackson County residents and currently live in temporary placement facilities, foster homes, with relatives, or in treatment facilities. The ultimate goal, and our vision, is to move these children into safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.

The children we serve:

  • Receive more health and behavioral services than other kids in the system.
  • Are more likely to be adopted.
  • Are 50 percent less likely to re-enter the foster-care system.

Most importantly, 95 percent of Jackson County CASA children do not suffer additional abuse or neglect after their case is closed—and since 2000, less than 1 percent of Jackson County CASA children have re-entered the Jackson County court system.

2009 achievements:

  • Served 786 children
  • Recruited and trained 95 volunteers
  • Accepted 28.35 percent of all new Jackson County cases (235 new kids out of the 829 who entered the Jackson County court system)

Of the children we served in 2009:

  • 98 percent live in families with incomes below the poverty level.
  • 95 percent have parents that are involved with drug and/or alcohol abuse.
  • 77 percent of the families have been impacted by mental health problems.
  • 25 percent have parents who are incarcerated or recently released.
  • 74 percent are under the age of 12.
  • 55 percent African American, 31 percent Caucasian; Hispanic 4 percent; other ethnicities – 10 percent.

2009 achievements:

  • We have surpassed our goal of 750 children served, with a total of 786 children reached by our services
  • Recruited and trained 95 new volunteers, for a total active volunteer base of 241 volunteers

2010 Goals:

  • To provide CASA services to 800 children
  • To recruit and train 100 new volunteers