We believe that every child should have a safe, permanent, and loving home. And, we believe
that every child in need should have a CASA Volunteer.
Mission Statement:
Northwest Ohio CASA is a non-profit organization that utilizes trained community volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASAs serve as an independent voice to advocate in juvenile court for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
Vision Statement:
A world where every abused or neglected child in Defiance, Henry, Paulding, and Williams County has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.
Values Statement:
Service: We provide care and advocacy to children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
Collaboration: We strive to build connections and partnerships with other social service agencies.
Integrity: We carry out all obligations of our program and volunteers with the utmost responsibility and accountability.
Diversity: We seek everyone’s unique background to provide advocacy to the diverse foster care system.
Ethics: We strive to meet the highest ethical standards with trauma informed care initiatives.
Guiding Principles:
We recognize the importance of family preservation and/or reunification.
- It is in a child’s best interest to remain with their family of origin whenever safely possible.
- Our program acknowledges that children experience trauma when separated from their family of origin.
- If a child is removed from their family of origin, it is in the child’s best interest to be reunified with their family of origin as soon as safely possible.
- If a child is removed from their family of origin, it is in the child’s best interest to be placed with a relative as the next best option whenever safely possible.
- Strengthening families, through recommendations for services, supports, visitation and communications, is in the child’s best interest to achieve stability and/or reunification.
- Our program requires and demonstrates respect for the parents and all parties associated with the case.
- Our program ensures that information regarding the family’s strengths is incorporated into reports to the court.
- Our program ensures that information regarding the child’s wishes is incorporated into reports to the court.
- Only when a court determines a child cannot be safely reunified with their family of origin in a reasonable timeframe, is another permanent placement is in a child’s best interest.
We recognize the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- All children regardless of age, race, ethnicity, national origin (ancestry), color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or physical challenge should be safe, have a permanent home and an opportunity to thrive.
- Our program acknowledges the existence of implicit bias and takes steps to minimize and/or eliminate implicit bias.
- Our program is committed to demonstrating an understanding of disproportionality impacting children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
We recognize the importance of collaboration.
- Our program cooperates and coordinates with other volunteer and public service agencies, the courts, community groups, families and individuals to:
- Improve services for individual children and their families.
- Advocate for needed change in the conditions which adversely affect the children served.
Program Objective
As a CASA volunteer under the guidance of Northwest Ohio CASA staff, you are helping to fulfill the objective of the Northwest Ohio CASA program to provide advocacy for abused, neglected, and/or dependent children, who are the subject of judicial proceedings, by:
- Conducting an independent investigation concerning each child;
- Factually and objectively reporting findings and observations to the court;
- Ensuring representation of the child’s best interests in all judicial proceedings and other matters relating to the child;
- Monitoring each case until the terms of the court orders have been fulfilled or the case is dismissed or closed. This includes ongoing investigation of all circumstances surroundings each child’s case, collecting relevant historical information about the child, gathering firsthand and current information, reporting findings, making fact-based recommendations to the court regarding short and long-term placement, visitation, and services that will serve the child’s best interests, ensuring that necessary services are received including that Children Services Case Plans are updated in a timely manner, address the needs of the child and family, and that court orders are followed.
Our Volunteers:
CASA Volunteers advocate for the best interest of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, most of which are in foster care. They get to know the child and their family, and make recommendations to the court regarding services and placement to help families remain strong. More than 50 counties in Ohio have CASA programs.
With the help of a CASA volunteer, a child is:
• More likely to find a safe, permanent home.
• More likely to be adopted.
• Substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care.
• Half as likely to re-enter foster care.
Learn more about CASA: