In Louisiana . . .

• A child is abused every 48 minutes
• Every 10.5 hours a child is confirmed to have been sexually abused
• At any given time there are over 5,000 children in foster care
  Of those in foster care, 48% are under 5
• A child dies before his or her first birthday every 14 hours

Court-appointed special advocates (CASA), speak up for the best interest of an abused child. They review records and talk to everyone involved — social workers, attorneys, judges, parents, teachers, family members and, of course, the children themselves. They then present your recommendation to the courts, stating what they believe is best for the child. Judges — who often refer to CASAs as their “eyes and ears” — rely heavily on this testimony to make an informed decision about the child’s future.