Basic Organization Information
Child Advocates, Inc.
- Also Known As:
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CAI, CASA
- Physical Address:
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Houston, TX
77098
- EIN:
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76-0111345
- Web URL:
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www.childadvocates.org
- NTEE Category:
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I Crime, Legal Related
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I70 Protection Against and Prevention of Neglect, Abuse, Exploitation
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I Crime, Legal Related
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I72 Child Abuse, Prevention of
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P Human Services
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P30 Children's and Youth Services
- Year Founded:
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1984
- Ruling Year:
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1984
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Mission Statement
Child Advocates, Inc. mobilizes court appointed volunteers to break the vicious cycle of child abuse. We speak up for abused children who are lost in the system and guide them into safe environments where they can thrive.
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Impact Statement from Nonprofit
Child Advocates recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who serve as guardians ad litem for children in foster care. We speak up for children who are lost in the system and guide them into safe and stable homes where they can thrive.
The organization began in Harris County with three volunteer staff members, 18 volunteer advocates and a budget of $5,000. Today, we have a projected budget of over $3.4 million, 49 staff members and more than 750 trained, active court appointed advocate volunteers – who, in 2011, will serve at least 2,200 children.
At any given time, more than 5,000 children are in foster care in Harris County (Houston), Texas. Harris County has more children in protective custody than any other county in Texas and than at least seven states. Yet high caseloads prevent Child Protective Services caseworkers from giving these children the individual attention they deserve. Child Advocates, Inc. was founded to make sure these children don’t get lost in an overburdened system. In the 27 years since our inception, Child Advocates has grown to become the nation's largest volunteer-driven CASA program. Yet we are still a long way from being able to provide an advocate to every Harris County child who needs one. Your financial support will allow us to give hope to many more of Houston’s most innocent victims.
Our services make a real and profound difference in the lives of the children we serve. Studies show the children we serve are better able to work with others and to control deviant behavior and have a more positive attitude toward the future than children without an advocate. Also, more parents of children with an advocate were offered and completed counseling services, psychiatric evaluations and drug and alcohol counseling than those without an advocate.
Revenue and Expenses
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Financial Statements
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Chief Executive
Ms. Sonya Galvan
Term:
Since
Jan
1996
Chief Executive Profile:
Sonya has worked directly with abused children for over 25 years. She has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Child Advocates, Inc. since 1996. Sonya received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Rehabilitation with a minor in Business from Sam Houston State University. She worked for more than six years with Child Protective Services, where she investigated referrals, provided direct services, and coordinated services to abused and neglected children.
Sonya joined Child Advocates, Inc. as supervisor of volunteers in 1989. In that position, Sonya recruited, trained, and provided supervision and guidance to volunteers. Her responsibilities included evaluating, planning, and conducting client interviews, and attending court hearings and meetings regarding the children. She was promoted to Senior Court Supervisor in 1990 and to Chief Program Officer in 1992. As Chief Program Officer, Sonya held direct responsibility for supervision of four program directors and the administration of five programs. As CEO, Sonya has led the organization to its current service level, in which 750 court appointed advocates have been assigned to serve more than 2,000 children.
Officers for Fiscal Year
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Highest Paid Employees & Their Compensation
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Program:
2011 Court Services Program
- Budget:
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$2,556,400
- Category:
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Crime & Legal
- Population Served:
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Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
Program Description:
Through the Court Services Program, Child Advocates recruits, trains, and superviss volunteers to serve as guardians ad litem, or court appointed advocates, for abused and neglected children in Harris County. These volunteers represent the children’s best interests while ensuring their unique needs are met as they await a permanent home. The volunteers gather and present critical information to Harris County judges so they can make informed decisions regarding the children’s future.
Program Long-Term Success:
Child Advocates, Inc. aims to break the generational cycle of child abuse by speaking up for abused children who are lost in the system and guiding them into safe environments where they can thrive. As we break this vicious cycle of abuse for individual children and families, the epidemic of child abuse in Houston will be ameliorated.
Children who find a permanent safe and loving home with the help of their court appointed advocate will experience fewer mental health issues, less substance abuse, better housing stability, more educational opportunities and employment levels and less interaction with the criminal justice system.
Program Short-Term Success:
As a result of the intervention by a Child Advocates volunteer, the foster children we serve will find a loving, safe and stable home and will have an increased opportunity to experience consistency, trust, love and confidence. As we find permanent homes for more children, the number of children growing up in foster care will decrease.
Program Success Monitored by:
Child Advocates evaluates the success of the Court Services Program by collecting statistics that are analyzed on a monthly and quarterly basis. The primary statistics include number of cases served, children served, active volunteers, volunteers trained, volunteer hours, length of case, demographics of children, and case outcomes. Analyzing these statistics allows our program team to track our progress toward meeting our annual goals and helps us gauge the effectiveness of our advocacy. In addition to these statistical reviews, each Advocacy Coordinator participates in an annual performance review with the Program Director. Court appointed advocates also are surveyed throughout the year to determine the effectiveness of their ACs. Additionally, we pay close attention to our volunteer retention rates and the impact of our volunteers who have served on three or more cases.
Program Success Examples:
A multi-year longitudinal study conducted in conjunction with the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and the University of Houston Psychology Department confirmed that our work makes a difference in the lives of the children we serve. The study found children who have a court appointed advocate have greater self-esteem, can control deviant behavior, have a positive attitude toward the future, value achievement, and work well with others. Also, more mothers and fathers of children with a court appointed advocate were offered and completed counseling services, psychiatric evaluations, drug and alcohol counseling, and GED education than those receiving assistance solely from the Harris County Department of Family and Protective Services. Additionally, more children without a court appointed advocate were in emergency shelters and therapeutic foster homes than children with a court appointed advocate. Fewer home placement changes occurred for children who had a court appointed advocate and they were less likely to re-enter the foster care system once they found the right home than children served by HCDFPS alone.
A 2006 audit of the National CASA Association by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General included similar findings. Specifically, the auditors found that children and parents in cases involving court appointed advocates were ordered by the courts to participate in more services and received more services. The auditors also found that children were less likely to re-enter the child welfare system after their cases had closed if they had been served by a court appointed advocate.
Funding Needs
The total 2011 organizational budget for Child Advocates is $3,625,850. The project budget for the 2011 Court Services Program is $2,556,400. In the 27 years since our inception, Child Advocates has grown to become the largest volunteer-driven CASA program of approximately 1,000 chapters nationwide. Yet we are still a long way from being able to provide an advocate to every Harris County child who needs one. Your financial support will allow us to give hope to many more of Houston’s most innocent victims. Your donation is critical as we are not a United Way agency and rely heavily on private and in-kind contributions to fund our work.
Volunteer Needs
Our court appointed advocate volunteers are a diverse group of men and women bringing a variety of life experiences, professions, education levels and backgrounds. If you are a proactive communicator who is at least 21 years old and is willing to commit 2-5 hours per week to a child, we need your help!
We need both men and women of every culture, but African American, Hispanic, bilingual in English and Spanish and male role models are in especially short supply. Please come learn more about volunteering at one of our convenient orientations.
If you cannot commit to serving as a court appointed advocate but still want to help Houston's abused and neglected children, the Friends of Child Advocates may be the opportunity for you. The Friends of Child Advocates is a fundraising and volunteer arm of Child Advocates that coordinates and produces various special events throughout the year, including Child Advocates' annual luncheon and fashion show.
Request for In-Kind Contributions
With the financial resources provided to Child Advocates by compassionate private donors, our court appointed volunteers are able to go even further and accommodate any other special needs which the children and the foster family may have but which the court and CPS cannot meet. In the past, this has included karate lessons to help improve the self-esteem of a shy child, glasses to help a child read the chalkboard in school, and often bunk-beds so that children will not have to sleep on the floor even if their foster families simply cannot afford to purchase additional beds.
We welcome the donation of new toys, books, clothing and personal hygiene items for children and teens.