The Sonoma County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program is committed to serving abused and neglected children coming before the Juvenile Court for protection and rehabilitation services. The purpose of the CASA program is to humanize the complex child welfare system for the child victim by providing a trained volunteer who will act as a consistent role model, advocate, and life connection. Program Goals: 1. To reduce the trauma of children in the Juvenile Court dependency system by matching a child with a trained CASA volunteer who will offer support through a long-term consistent relationship. The volunteer will explore and recommend resource options available to the child and offer the child guidance in understanding and dealing with the complex, unfamiliar court and child welfare systems. 2. To advocate vigorously for the rights of abused and neglected children in Sonoma County ensuring that all “reasonable efforts” have been made for a child at every stage of the court dependency process. 3. To improve the quality of information presented to the Juvenile Court, on behalf of the child, by informing the court of the child’s adjustment and state of mind by gathering relevant information and making appropriate case recommendations documented in a written court report. 4. To develop and implement a sound program management plan with a comprehensive strategy for the recruitment, retention, supervision, and training of a competent volunteer corps that is ethnically, racially, and linguistically representative of the population to be served.