What We Do

History, Mission and Vision

San Francisco CASA (SFCASA) was established in 1991 to help foster youth in San Francisco to achieve their full potential. Over the years, SFCASA has grown to an agency of more than 330 volunteers, multiple partner agencies, and professionals who are dedicated to providing support and advocacy to youth involved in the system, ensuring they have what they need for healthy development and a smooth transition to adulthood.

SFCASA's mission is to transform the lives of children and youth traumatized and displaced in the foster care and related systems by providing one consistent, caring volunteer advocate, trained to address each child’s needs in the court and community. Our vision is that every child and youth is in a safe and loving home, and has equitable access to the resources, community support, and opportunities they need to thrive.

Advocacy for In-Systems Youth

SFCASA empowers community members to support youth in foster care and juvenile justice systems. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), are trained adult volunteers who become court-appointed advocates and mentors. They help these young people access essential services and provide a consistent adult presence in their lives.

In the last year, 331 CASAs supported 334 young people through our In-System programs:

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth: In this program, a CASA is assigned by a judge to advocate for the best interests of a foster youth in court. This happens after the youth has been placed in the dependency court system due to experiencing neglect and/or abuse. CASA volunteers work closely with legal and child welfare professionals, educators, service providers, foster parents, biological parents and the young person to ensure that the youth's voice is heard and their needs are met.

The role of a CASA is crucial, as they build a one-on-one relationship with the youth and become a consistent adult in their life. They stay with the youth throughout the entirety of their case, which can often span several years, and they continue to meet with them as they change foster homes, schools, and sometimes even cities.

Through their advocacy, CASA volunteers enable judges to make the most well-informed decision for each child in the dependency and juvenile justice systems. Their work is vital in ensuring that the needs of foster youth are met and that they have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

Juvenile Justice Program: SFCASA’s Juvenile Justice Program connects juvenile justice-involved youth with a CASA to facilitate successful completion of probation and education, reduce recidivism, and ensure appropriate housing placement for minors and non-minor dependents. In the last year, we served 45 juvenile justice-involved young people with a CASA.

Educational Rights Holders: Volunteers are also trained as Educational Rights Holders (ERH) who have the legal authority to make important educational decisions and enhance youths’ success by increasing their access to specialized services to which they are entitled. In 2023, 92 CASAs held educational rights for 89 youth. A significant benefit of CASA ERHs is that they continue to hold rights even if their youth is moved to a new school in a different school district—an unfortunately all too common experience for many foster youth.

Advocacy in Service of Family Preservation

In the last three years, between 40 and 50% of youth placed into foster care were due to neglect, which is highly correlated with poverty and lack of resources, rather than abuse. Studies indicate that children and young people fare better when they remain with their families rather than being placed in care, including reduced teenage pregnancy and involvement with the justice system, and increased chances of employment in adulthood. Staying with families also promotes long-term relationships, which are crucial for healthy development.

SFCASA is working to expand its core activities aimed at strengthening families, preventing system involvement, reducing time in the system, and keeping families together. This work includes:

Collaboration with SF Family Treatment Court (FTC): The FTC program is designed to provide assessment, treatment planning, resource coordination, and support to families who are involved in the juvenile dependency system due to parental substance use. The program involves parents participating in a voluntary drug treatment program while working towards reunification with their children. To ensure that both parents and children have the necessary resources and support, we match a CASA with the children from participating families.

The results of the FTC program are impressive. Children whose parent(s) participate in the FTC program are nearly 10 times more likely to reunify than similar parents who did not enter the program. Additionally, just 3% of children re-entered foster care one year after completing the program compared to 22.5% of those who did not participate. Currently, 23 families are being supported through this program.

Advocacy in Service of Post Systems Stabilization

San Francisco's youth in foster care often age out without family or legal guardians. This puts them at risk of hardships like homelessness, substance abuse and incarceration. Additionally, families who reunify often lose critical resources once they are out of the system. SFCASA aims to provide support to youth and families leaving care by facilitating long-term relationships and connecting them to essential services.

CASA Connections Program: Many volunteer advocates choose to keep in touch with the young person they were appointed to support, even after the court case has officially ended. In 2024, the Connections program is set to launch, aiming to serve 15 young adults and families by formalizing and providing direct assistance to volunteers who maintain relationships beyond the court appointment.

Foster Youth Tax Project: Tax refunds can provide essential support for education, housing, and basic needs to foster youth in San Francisco. However, only 6% of eligible foster youth in the city receive refunds. This includes a newly established California tax credit of up to $1,117 for current and former foster youth. Last year, SFCASA became a certified VITA tax site and helped 42 young people receive over $80,000 in refunds. In the 2024 tax season, our goal is to serve more than 100 youth, including SFCASA clients and other foster youth, and provide them with financial literacy resources, education, and coaching.

Peer-to-Peer Grantmaking: SFCASA has a Youth Advisory Board that created and oversees a grant program for young people who are current or former foster and justice-involved individuals. This program aims to provide support for the transition to independence by providing grants to cover expenses related to education, career and independent living. In its inaugural year, the board awarded nearly $60,000 in grants to 41 young people.