The Child and Court Advocacy Group advocates through our volunteers to ensure every child has a voice in court to ensure safety, stability, and permanency.
The Court and Child Advocacy Group vision is to provide advocacy, consistency, and quicker routes to successful permanency for all children who have entered the child welfare system because of abuse and or neglect. The Court and Child Advocacy Group is committed to the highest quality of advocacy through trained Court Appointed Special Advocates.
We believe:
• Every child has the right to be heard.
• Every child has a right to a permanent home.
• Well trained volunteers and organized staff can effectively present the needs of children.
• The court needs to be presented with accurate and complete information in a timely manner.
• Community is compassionate about the welfare issues of children.
• Our organization is inclusive and diverse
• Our organization is intentional. We will focus on results and solutions. We will have clear expectations. We will plan to succeed
The CASA Program recruits, trains, and supervises unpaid volunteer advocates for children who fall victim to abuse and/or neglect all over the country. CASA’s obligation is to the child first. CASA aims to ensure that the child’s voice is heard in court and that the child’s best interests are at the heart of court recommendations. All children deserve peace, safety, and happiness. CASA volunteers strive to be fair and impartial in all that they do.
A volunteer CASA is appointed by a judge following the substantiation of abuse and/or neglect allegations. A volunteer’s job is to build a relationship with the child during the life of the subsequent Child in Need of Services (CHINS) case. Through both verbal statements in court and written recommendations to the judge, a CASA volunteer summarizes the child’s current life situation, identifies any needs the child may have, and advocates for any needs the child may have.
A CASA volunteer may be able to provide insightful feedback about a child’s situation. Volunteer advocates have small caseloads, usually taking on only one child at a time, so they can devote a lot of time to building a relationship with an individual child.
The Court and Child Advocacy Group is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977, when a Seattle judge conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of the abused and neglected children in court. These Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) provided him with the detailed information he needs to safeguard the children’s best interests and ensure that they were placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The program was so successful that it was replicated around the nation. The National ASA Association was founded in 1982 and provides technical assistance and national leadership to local programs across the country. The CASA concept is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justices, Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention, the American Bar Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families.
Today, there is a network of over 950 CASA programs in 49 states and more than 93,300 trained volunteer advocates nationwide. In 2021, in Rush and Shelby County 34 CASA volunteers contributed over 2721 hours advocating for the best interests of 147 children.
Judge Soukup recognized this in 1976. He recruited and trained community volunteers to serve as advocates for those entering the child welfare system. By 1977, volunteers were representing children in court. In 1982, there were 88 volunteers total and the first Annual CASA Conference was held. Now, more than 90,000 CASA volunteers belonging to 950 programs all over the country advocate for over 250,000 children annually. A more detailed national history of CASA can be found here: https://nationalcasagal.org/about-us/history/.
Rush County CASA was formed in 2008 and Shelby County CASA was formed in 2012. Shelby and Rush County CASA is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization currently operating out of Shelbyville, Indiana.
Kelly Smith Ford has been the Director of The Court and Child Advocacy Group since July of 2010. She started as a CASA volunteer in June of 2008. She expanded the program to Rush County in 2012. During her free time, Ms. Smith-Ford participates on several committees. She is on the Policy and Procedure Committee and Legislative Committee. She has been on the Indiana State GAL/CASA Conference Committee since 2015.
Nichole is a lifelong Shelbyville resident. She is a graduate of Shelbyville High School and holds a degree in psychology from IUPUI. She has been a substitute teacher for Shelbyville Central Schools. Nichole has been a CASA since 2018. In her spare time, Nichole loves to read, watch TV, and spend time with her husband and daughters.
Kirsten Tharp currently lives in Lexington, Virginia. She graduated from Ivy Tech in Columbus, Indiana with her Associate of Science degree in Social Work in May of 2020. She has been working with the Court and Child Advocacy Group since 2020, starting with an internship under the nonprofit’s director, and now manages the social media remotely. She eventually wants to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, at least, and potentially her Master’s Degree. Kirsten has a passion for helping people and being a positive force in the world. She wants to continue working for nonprofit organizations throughout her career.
Brooke has been a staff advocate for the Court and Child Advocacy Group since July 2021. She attended Purdue University and worked in social services for several years before pursing a career in Real Estate. She started as a CASA volunteer in November 2020 after looking for a way to get back involved in social services. During her free time Brooke enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.
As a staff member, Lisa’s duties include going to court and taking notes; maintaining our data base with all information on the families and children involved with Department of Child Services, as well as filing court documents into the electronic files. She also assists the director of our program with fundraising, continuing education training for our current volunteers, training for new volunteers and any events that are planned throughout the year to benefit the children that we advocate for. Being a CASA allows her to advocate for the best interest of the children that are involved with Department of Children Services in Rush & Shelby County.
Karen has been a volunteer of The Court and Child Advocacy Group since May of 2019. During her free time, Mrs. Fisher enjoys spending time with her family, along with doing Genealogy.
There are around 950 programs around the country participating in the CASA movement. The Court and Child Advocacy Group for Rush County CASA was formed in 2008, and Shelby County CASA was added in 2012. The Court and Child Advocacy Group (CCAG) for Rush and Shelby County CASA is a nonprofit currently operating out of Shelbyville, Indiana. CCAG operates under executive director Kelly Smith-Ford and a board of directors. CCAG provides training to local volunteers, sometimes partnering with local organizations, to ensure their volunteers have the proper resources in their “tool belt” to help their clients. The Court and Child Advocacy Group is volunteer-based and donation-driven.
There are many ways you can help your local CASA organization! The Court and Child Advocacy Group partners with local restaurants such as Pudder’s and Cholula’s, and other small businesses in the area to raise funds for advocacy efforts. Dine-ins are a great way to contribute! You can subscribe to the newsletter for a list of upcoming opportunities to contribute. Some events are held annually, including the Pinwheel Planting at the courthouse, the Superhero Run, Adopt a Child for Christmas, and more.
