Causes

Youth development Violence prevention

Posted by

Leah F.

Executive Director

Our mission

SCAN of Northern Virginia promotes the well-being of children, improves parent-child relations and prevents child abuse and neglect by: educating the community about child abuse/neglect and the importance of positive parenting; providing parent education; and advocating for children in the community, the legislature and the courts.

What we do

The Alexandria/Arlington Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program is a program of SCAN of Northern Virginia, a not-for-profit organization committed to speaking for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the Virginia Juvenile Courts. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for this vulnerable population. Once sworn in, advocates are appointed by Family Court Judges to represent and advocate for a child's best interests while they are involved with the child protection system. They gather information from the children, families, and professionals involved in the case and submit a written report to the court with their findings and recommendations. It is every volunteer's job to be an objective observer while they advocate for the children they serve. The CASA program's primary goal is to ensure that each and every child is permitted to grow up in a safe, stable, and permanent home.