Agency Contacy Information
Agency Head: Jill Olson, Executive Director
Address: 407 W State St. #6 Sycamore, Illinois 60178
Phone: 815-895-2052
Fax: 815-895-3651
Website: www.casadekalb.org
Agency Description
CASA DeKalb County, Inc. is a non-profit membership organization which advocates for the best interest of abused and
neglected children. CASA provides trained volunteers who work cooperatively with the juvenile services in DeKalb County.
The service area includes all of DeKalb County and the services are available to all children from birth to 18 years of age who come into the court system through an allegation of abuse, neglect or dependency. There are no income limitations or restrictions in order for a CASA advocate to be assigned to a child and the children that are served by the CASA program are usually come from low or very low income families. The children that CASA serves also typically come from dysfunctional families where violence is often a common occurrence. Even where the children are not the victims of specific acts of violence, they re often a witness to such acts of a parent or against a sibling. Children in general are often an underserved population in the legal system; therefore, the presence of a CASA advocate ensures that their needs and best interests will be addressed by the court while their cases are pending.
The CASA advocate isthe consistent presence on behalf of the child during a court proceeding. After the initial investigation and preparation of a written report for the juvenile court judge, the CASA advocate acts to monitor the progress of the case and ensure a timely review by the juvenile court. The CASA advocate assigned to the case works closely with the DCFS caseworker to assure a timely exchange of information about the statue of the child and a timely resolution of any problems that might exist. The CASA advocate also interviews teachers, medical professionals, counselors and any other person appropriate to the specific case.