A Voice for Children
Court Appointed Special Advocates Support Children in Crisis
By Whitney Alswede
When a child is removed from an unsafe home, they lose more than a place to live. They lose familiar routines, classrooms, friendships and, often, contact with siblings — all in a matter of hours. For thousands of children across North Texas, that upheaval marks the beginning of a long and uncertain journey through the foster care system.
More than 30,000 infants, youth and teens are currently in foster care in Texas. Through no fault of their own, these children have experienced trauma at home, followed by the disruption of being placed elsewhere — often far from parents, siblings, schools and support systems they know.
For many of those children, a Court Appointed Special Advocate — known as a CASA volunteer — becomes the one consistent adult focused solely on their best interests. These volunteers undergo extensive training and background checks before being appointed by a judge to advocate for children navigating the foster care system. Once assigned, they remain involved throughout the case, offering stability in a process often marked by constant change.
In 2025, CASA of Collin County’s 186 volunteers were the voices for 334 children in foster care and temporary family placements. Lone Star CASA, serving Rockwall and Kaufman counties, advocated for 272 children, thanks to its 125 volunteers.
“That advocate is there to be with them, to be their voice, to help them all along the way and make sure that they are in the best situation and that they’re getting all of their needs met,” says CASA of Collin County Chief Philanthropy Officer Jessica Dunn. “The state has their attorneys, the parents have their attorneys—everybody has their attorneys—but we are a true, neutral person who is really looking out for the child’s best interest and looking at every single thing that affects that child’s life.”
Every child, ranging from newborn to 17, who is removed from a home in Collin, Rockwall or Kaufman County and placed in temporary care, whether that’s because of abuse, drug or alcohol abuse, neglect—anything—will be given a CASA volunteer by the judge within 48 hours of removal. Typically, sibling groups are assigned one advocate to represent everyone. The volunteers initially reach out to extended family members to understand the child’s background and look for placement opportunities.
However, their work soon involves everyone who touches the child’s life, including therapists, teachers, medical personnel, family members, the foster family and even the biological parents.
CASA of Collin County Chief Programs Officer Debi Williams said CASA volunteers serve as guardians ad litem, giving them broad access to records related to a child’s care and requiring them to review that information throughout the case to make timely, individualized recommendations.
“We don’t take a cookie-cutter approach—our approach is unique to the means and dynamic of every child that we serve,” Williams added.
Perhaps the most important person an advocate speaks with is the child. Volunteers regularly connect with the youth they serve, building trust through simple moments — reading together, playing games or working on puzzles. As children get older, that connection may happen over FaceTime, through text messages or during lunch. Through these conversations, CASA volunteers gain insight into a child’s experiences, whether their physical, emotional, spiritual and educational needs are being met, and what challenges or interests may be shaping their day-to-day lives.
If there’s an issue, the advocate can intervene and attempt to find a solution. CASA of Collin County volunteer Dawn Brucher says she has mediated between teens and their placements over seemingly mundane things, like the teen’s hairstyles and nails.
“It sounds so simple,” she says, “but being able to step in and say, ‘You know, let’s figure out ways where we can provide this child some decision-making that they can be comfortable with.’ And maybe we can sit down and almost mediate where we can give this child some freedom of expression while still respecting the house rules.”
Alicia Rothe, who also works with CASA of Collin County, says she strives to ensure her child’s cultural needs are met as well. “I work with the Latino community a lot,” she says. “Little things like food, things that are going to help them get more comfortable and respect their own culture, those things make such a big difference to help them feel safer.”
Youth may stay in temporary care anywhere from a year to almost two years, live in several homes around the state and have several caseworkers before reuniting with their biological parents, being adopted or aging out. The one constant, however, is the CASA volunteer.
Collin, Rockwall and Kaufman counties are among the fastest-growing areas in Texas, meaning the need for advocates (especially men and Spanish speakers), as well as funding and donations, is greater than ever. Families are moving in because of the school ratings, housing prices and access to major freeways.
Lone Star CASA Executive Director Lauren Rowe says that as of February, her program has served almost as many children in Rockwall County since September as it did between September 2024 and August 2025. With nearly seven months left in the year, she fully expects to exceed last year’s number.
“We’re desperately looking for people who are interested in serving—that’s our first and greatest need,” Rowe says. “And then our second one is financial, having people donate to us monthly is something that we’re really looking for because of our growth. Last year, we experienced about a 27 percent increase in children that we serve. We know that’s going to continue because our counties are growing, and they’re growing with young families. We’re not attracting the retirement age, and so that means it costs us more to operate.”
Williams says CASA of Collin County’s caseload is increasing just as the competition for big-dollar donors becomes tighter, forcing the nonprofit to rely upon $25 and $50 donations from community members. The funds go toward paying volunteers’ travel costs, covering the children’s extracurricular activity fees, and ensuring CASA can continue saying yes to each and every child in need.
If a financial donation isn’t an option, or if groups want to support CASA, school supplies, backpacks, books, toys, gift cards, services, craft supplies and “birthday baskets” (cake mix, candles, balloons and more) are also welcome donations year-round.
“There’s no guarantee when a child is removed from their home that they’re going to stay in the same school district,” Dunn says. “So, we want to make sure they have a brand-new backpack and anything they need to be able to start off successfully. And then we keep our toy room open throughout the year, so if a child’s going to court, or maybe it’s their birthday, maybe they’re going to see their sibling, or maybe they want to go to a birthday party, we want to make sure that they have normalcy and that they can get a gift.”
Both CASA of Collin County and Lone Star CASA say they welcome support from and volunteers outside their counties to ensure they can continue offering local infants, youth and teens normalcy, consistency so they make it through uncertainty and trauma.
“We’re celebrating our 35th anniversary,” says Dunn, “and whereas most organizations get excited about that, it’s kind of bittersweet because it means that 35 years of children being abused and neglected. We’re glad that we’re here because we’re the only organization that does what we do, but we can’t do it without the support of volunteers, community partners and donors, and all of us being a part of a team to make sure that those children know they’re not alone.”
To donate or volunteer
Collin County Casaofcollincounty.org 972-529-2272
Rockwall County Lonestarcasa.org 972-772-5858