Once assigned by the Merced County Court, CASAs investigate each child’s specific circumstances and provide critical information essential to the judges’ decision-making process regarding their needs. Without this information, the judges may not be aware of a potentially unsafe environment or dangerous family situation. This is especially critical to the Merced County Juvenile Court system because so many children are processed through Merced County alone. Statistics from Merced County for 2009 are startling: 4,694 children in Merced County experienced at least one allegation of abuse or neglect. Approximately 700 children at any one time are in the foster care system in Merced County, with over half of these children facing permanency placement. In these cases there is no longer hope of reunifying the child with his or her parents. In other counties where a CASA is available, the judges often depend on the information provided by a CASA volunteer advocate to determine the best placement for the child.
