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Mission, Vision,
and Values
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve outcomes for children who have experienced abuse and neglect in Yamhill County by recruiting, screening, training, and supporting CASA volunteers who advocate for the child’s best interests in the courtroom, classroom, and community.
Our Vision
Our vision is to see that every child in Yamhill County has a powerful voice and a hopeful future.
Our Values
Compassion
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We recognize we are meeting families during what is likely the worst time of their life and we strive to meet them with grace and to withhold judgement and personal bias.
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We demonstrate compassion through consistent and assertive casework founded in hope for the future.
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We pledge to be an ally for every child we serve.
Connection
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We support outcomes that keep the child connected to their family without jeopardizing the child’s safety and stability.
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We encourage peer-to-peer connection and support among our volunteers.
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We believe in the strength of community connections.
Respect
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We foster an inclusive environment by welcoming diversity and promoting equity at all levels of the program.
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We strive for honest, transparent, and accountable conduct that honors our partnerships, volunteers, and financial supporters.
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As officers of the court, we demonstrate professionalism in all our communications, meetings, and in any space in which we represent Yamhill County CASA.
Voice
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We promote using a strengths-based lens to observe, document, and report fact-based information to the court.
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We strive to utilize trauma-informed care and communication throughout the program.
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We stand up for what we believe is in the child’s best interest, even if we stand alone.
Yamhill County CASA is committed to cultivating diversity among our staff and volunteers, prioritizing equity in the way we carry out our mission, and nurturing inclusion and belonging within our organization.
Yamhill County CASA recognizes that there are historical inequities within the infrastructure of family-serving systems that can further traumatize children and families throughout their involvement with child welfare and affiliated services. The disproportionate distribution of resources and limited availability of services in our rural county further impacts families experiencing addiction, mental health illness, disability, and poverty- all of which are associated with a greater likelihood of child welfare and judicial system involvement. In Yamhill County, LGBTQIA2S+ youth, Black and African American youth, Native American youth, and Latino/a youth are marginalized and are more likely to enter foster care than white, cisgender, heterosexual youth.
The best outcomes are reached when every person- child and adult- feels valued, respected, and heard. For every child who enters state care, we aim to have a CASA immediately available who can acknowledge the values and cultures of a child’s life and be a reliable positive presence through the entire journey of a child welfare case. Our staff and volunteers are carefully screened to ensure every volunteer we endorse and every staff person we hire is a model of inclusivity and equity, and a powerful advocate for strengths-based trauma-informed care.