CASA of Graves County & Southwest KY

The mission of Graves County & Southwest KY is to provide trained community volunteers for court appointment to advocate on behalf of dependent, abused, and neglected children in our communities.

Since 1989, our agency has worked to protect children and educate the community on issues of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Our vision is for every child to have the opportunity to grow up in a safe environment. CASA of Graves County and Southwest Kentucky works toward that end by recruiting, screening, training, and supporting community volunteers that are court appointed to advocate for children in Graves, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman Counties. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are mature, reliable adults (21+) who have a passion for children, can be objective under difficult circumstances, and can relate to people from all backgrounds and lifestyles.

A CASA volunteer engages in 30 hours of pre-service training before being assigned a case. As an impartial advocate for children in dependency, neglect, and abuse cases, a CASA volunteer gathers information about the child, reports and make recommendations to the Judge, gets to know the child and advocates for the child's best interest, and monitors until the child has a safe, permanent home. A CASA is the voice of the child during court proceedings that affect their life. For many children, their CASA volunteer is the one consistent person in their life during a time of chaos. CASA volunteers are there to change lives, and they do.