The West Virginia CASA Association, Inc.

CASA of the Eastern Panhandle

Mission
CASA of the Eastern Panhandle, a non-profit organization, advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system to secure a safe and permanent home for each child.

History and Program Information
CASA of the Eastern Panhandle (CASA-EP) was established in 2003. Since then, CASA-EP has trained over 75 volunteers and advocated for nearly 225 children in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties. Our long-term goal is to increase our base of active volunteers, so we can serve all of the children in the Eastern Panhandle who are removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect and who need our help.

CASA volunteers are given court orders directing them to investigate cases after children have been removed from their homes. CASA volunteers carry a caseload of only one or two cases at a time. CASA volunteers are able to do an in-depth and exhaustive investigation of every case to which they are assigned, and therefore provide a much-needed service that helps the judge make a more informed decision about the immediate outcome of each child’s life.

Child abuse and neglect are significant problems in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties. Child Protective Services investigates nearly 1,500 cases of child abuse and neglect in the Eastern Panhandle on average every year. Unfortunately, this number is growing.

CASA-EP helps find and recommend services to educate parents and help them find the resources they need to provide their children with a caring and safe home environment. There is no other organization in this area that performs such a service.
Saving taxpayers’ dollars, CASA-EP volunteers donated over 1600 hours of service in 2006 and current numbers show that they will contribute at least as much in 2007. Prevention now saves lives and tax dollars later.
Every year in the Eastern Panhandle, hundreds of children are removed from their homes because they have been severely physically or sexually abused. Most often, a police officer and a social worker arrive to take them out of the home. These children can’t take anything with them – no clothes, no toys, and no familiar comforts from home. Then they are placed with a foster family – complete strangers – and begin their long and lonely journey through the court and social services systems.
CASA volunteers watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children to make sure they don't get lost in the overburdened system, or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. CASA volunteers stay with each case until it is closed and the children are placed in a safe and permanent home. For many, the CASA volunteers will be the one constant adult presence in the ordeal of removal from the home and processing through the social service system. The CASA volunteer is often the only adult who cares first and foremostabout what is best for the child. CASA-EP gives children who have been hurt and lived in fear the chance to live in a safe home.

Contact Us
229 E. Martin St, Suite 100
Martinsburg, West Virginia 25401
Phone: (304) 263-5100
Fax: (304) 263-5111
info@casaep.org