Our Mission
Child Advocates of Nevada County provides advocacy, education, support, prevention, and intervention services so that our children can grow up free from abuse and neglect.
Child Advocates of Nevada County is a private, non-profit agency funded through a variety of sources with strong community support. The agency was founded in 1993 to provide Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) services to abused and neglected children who were dependents of the Juvenile Court. After the initial years of working with children who had been removed from abusive homes, the agency’s staff and Board of Directors recognized that work needed to be done to prevent families from ever reaching a point of crisis.
Our three programs challenge abuse and neglect of children through different methods:
Education and Support…
Foothill Healthy Babies: Foothill Healthy Babies is an intensive, home visiting program based on the nationally recognized Healthy Families America model. The program enhances parent-child relationships and family functioning for families that are stressed or overcoming challenges. Specially trained Home Visitors gently help families reduce stress and learn about child development and positive discipline. Additionally, the Home Visitor connects families to community resources that improve parents’ coping and problem solving skills. By developing a nurturing a relationship, Home Visitors help families identify their strengths and overcome challenges in order to reach the hopes for their children. Services in English and Spanish are provided free of charge, in the home, as needed for up to three years.
Education…
Child Abuse Prevention in Nevada County Schools (CAPINCS):
The CAPINCS program is truly unique in that it harnesses the talent
and creative energy of high school student volunteers to bring a message
of personal safety to young children. CAPINCS members go in to preschools
and elementary schools all over Nevada County and show young ones how
to stand up for themselves and how to stay safe from any touch that
may lead to physical or sexual abuse. Through the use of age appropriate
puppet shows and skits, young people learn how to handle a bully, to
trust their instincts about touching, refusal skills and how to deal
with peer pressure, as well as how to recognize and cope with physical
and sexual harassment. In the 2004/2005 school year, 101 CAPINCS volunteers
served 3,388 children.
Intervention and Support…
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): The
CASA Program trains, supports and supervises volunteer Advocates, or CASAs,
to act as the voice of an abused or neglected child in court. CASAs work
to ensure that each child's best interest is always considered, and that
a child removed from an abusive or negligent situation has a safe, loving,
and permanent home in the shortest time possible. CASA Advocates attend
a 35-hour training program that covers topics relevant to their work with
children who are dependents of the court. Volunteers who complete the
training will be eligible to become sworn-in Advocates and matched with
children in need. The CASA program in Nevada County also offers a Family
Court CASA program, which serves children who are effected by their parents
high conflict divorce.
