How do we continue to stop child abuse, even when the issue isn’t in the spotlight?

April 2025 A CASA Program perspective

As Child Abuse Prevention Month winds down, our team is left with a challenging question: how do we continue to stop child abuse, even when the issue isn’t in the spotlight?

For Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), the answer is straightforward: we keep working as if every day is Child Abuse Prevention Month. We understand abuse will still be a reality for many children in our community, even after the calendar rolls over into May. There are families who still need community support, emotional stability, and safe neighborhoods. And there will always be children—some of them just down your street—who need someone to speak up for them.

A CASA volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in the child welfare system. They walk alongside the children, come to understand their situation, and advocate in court to help ensure the child’s needs are met. In many cases, the CASA volunteer is the only stable adult figure during a child’s time in the system. And because of these volunteers, more children end up in safer, more permanent homes.

CASA volunteers do more than provide advocacy for their assigned children. A volunteer often becomes a welcome face for the family. They help connect case parents with community resources. They listen and encourage. While our priority is always the child’s best interests, we know supporting families is crucial in preventing further abuse and neglect.

Because child abuse does not happen in a vacuum.

Preventing abuse requires stronger families and communities. It means we need to model compassion, accountability, and maturity every day. That isn’t just the responsibility of a CASA volunteer: it falls on all of us.

Most of us wonder how we can make a difference. When we ask that question, we often ignore the obvious answer: we start where we are. For some of us, that might mean becoming a CASA volunteer—and if so, we urge you to learn more about your local program. Even if it doesn’t, your impact starts with the kindness you show and the example you set for children and families. And as April ends, we need to make the decision to build strong communities every day.

Because the goal isn’t just stopping child abuse. It’s building a world where it never starts.

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