This former CASA Guardian ad Litem is happy to see the saving and rebuilding of the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program in Minnesota. Thank you to Kathleen Blatz and the MN State GAL board for your hard work and dedication to this important program.
Over the past five years, Minnesota has seen thousands of children passing through Child Protection Services (CPS) annually, with about five percent of them without a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) due to a shortage of available staff and volunteer Guardians. Nationally, that means almost 300,000 children and youth are delayed or without an advocate in the Child Protection Court system. Imagine your child or a child you know living through the legal process of Child Protection without an advocate.
Staff (paid GALs) turnover has been between 25% and 50% annually for several years and not likely to change in the near future. Happily, CASAMN is reporting a strong surge in high quality community volunteers at this time. Perhaps the high numbers (almost 300) of MN children without Guardians ad Litem will start to shrink across the state soon.
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Annual child entries into CPS: Minnesota’s Child Welfare Data Dashboard shows 4,000 to 6,000 children entering the foster care and out-of-home placement each year—these figures are further supported by recent county-level reports which give detailed breakdowns for major counties like Hennepin.
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The Child Welfare League of America’s Minnesota Fact Sheet reports over 13,000 children were served by the state foster care system in FY2020, with roughly 5,000 children newly entering care each year—this trend remained relatively consistent for 2019–2023.
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Regarding representation, state reviews and legislation require a GAL for nearly all CHIPS cases. However, Minnesota’s own Guardian ad Litem Data Dashboard tracks unassigned cases, showing that while 95% of eligible children received a GAL, around 5%—200–300 children per year—had delays or no assignment due to shortages or gaps in coverage.
For the latest summaries, you can consult the Minnesota DHS Child Welfare Data Dashboard, which provides up-to-date annual statistics, and the Guardian ad Litem Dashboard for unassigned case data.
The cost savings to the State and local governments are significant
The CASA National website affirms that appointing CASA or GAL volunteers results in children spending less time in foster care and experiencing greater placement stability, which leads to substantial cost savings for the child welfare system (National CASA Impact Research). A summary published by the National CASA/GAL Association shows that only 12% of CASA-served children stay in long-term foster care, compared to 16% of all foster children, demonstrating that CASA programs reduce both the time and public expense involved in out-of-home care (CASA Foster Care Statistics PDF).
In-depth university and state analyses further validate these results. For instance, a 2023 Ohio State University study of CASA’s impact confirmed that children with a CASA spent less time in out-of-home placement, had lower rates of re-entry into foster care, and were more likely to achieve family reunification or another permanent outcome (Ohio CASA Impact Report). Nationally, multiple cost benefit analyses suggest that every $1 spent on CASA volunteers yields at least $30 in savings by shortening time in care and preventing repeated foster placements (CASA Dollars and Sense).
Independent peer-reviewed research, like the NIH-published study available through the National Library of Medicine, also demonstrates that children appointed a CASA experience significantly improved permanency outcomes, affirming the mechanisms behind the documented system cost savings (NIH CASA effect outcome study).
Thus, multiple data sources—including CASA National, university-led evaluations, and government research—support and validate the CASA program’s claims about its fiscal and welfare benefits (National CASA Impact Research).
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This article submitted by former CASA volunteer Mike Tikkanen
