Court Appointed Special Advocates First Judicial District

CASA First (Court Appointed Special Advocates, First Judicial District) recruits, trains and supports passionate Court Appointed Volunteer Advocates, “CASAs”, who are give voice in and out of court for infants, children and youth from Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties, who are currently in foster care. Each child or group of siblings is assigned a Volunteer Advocate who ensures they are safe and have a caring adult in their corner. We also train and assign “Abrigo” Advocates to children and youth who are not actively in the foster care system, but have been impacted by trauma or system-involved, to ensure they have the practical and emotional supports needed to thrive. 

For children who have been abused or neglected, CASA means having a home instead of feeling lost, and being a priority instead of feeling invisible. Children with CASA volunteers are more likely to end up with their families and according to National CASA, more likely to receive therapy, health care and education and be in school. They are also less likely to be bounced from one place to another, languish in long-term foster care or re-enter into the foster care system.