ProKids trains volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). Each CASA is assigned to a foster child, making sure the child’s needs are met and that the child is safe, and helping each child move into a safe, permanent, and nurturing home.
ProKids was founded in 1981 by Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Junior League of Cincinnati.
ProKids is Hamilton County’s CASA volunteer program, one of more than 900 CASA programs nationwide, and part of the National CASA Association.
ProKids is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3). In 2007, our major funding sources were:
- 34% ProKids Friends of Children Society
- 20% private foundations and grants
- 7% United Way of Greater Cincinnati
- 6% federal and state grants
- 5% ProKids fund-raising events
- 5% donations
ProKids Vision Statement
A safe, permanent, and nurturing home for every child
ProKids Mission Statement
ProKids is a nonprofit agency that provides outstanding volunteer advocacy for children in Hamilton County who have been abused and neglected and, through no fault of their own, are in the court system.
ProKids recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers known as CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to provide a powerful voice for these children.
ProKids provides leadership and education to the community by creating specialized programs such as Building Blocks for children age birth to 3 years old, Steps to Peace to address family violence, and the CASA University training program.
ProKids cultivates a committed community that provides the financial support necessary to reach more of these children and to stop the cycle of abuse and neglect.
ProKids History
This year in Hamilton County more than 1,100 children will be so severely abused and neglected that they will be removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system. Imagine being taken away from the only family you have ever known. Then, you are taken to a strange place to live temporarily until a permanent solution can be found. Through the eyes of a child who has been abused and neglected, the world is a frightening place.
For 27 years, ProKids has been a pioneer in the advocacy for abused and neglected children of the foster care system. The ProKids history has been written by the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers who support ProKids.
ProKids Milestones
Mid-1970s
A national movement began in Seattle, Washington that sought intensive monitoring of the child welfare system. This movement stemmed from the realization that some children were ill-treated or ignored by the very institutions created to care for them.
The federal government established a requirement for Guardian ad Litems (GALs) to represent children in court proceedings. However, these representatives were rarely trained to act as advocates in and out of the courtroom for the children they were appointed to represent.
1977
The first volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs)/GAL program was started in Seattle by Judge David Soukup. He began recruiting and training CASAs to serve as a voice for children involved in abuse and neglect court actions. In addition to appearing at hearings, these CASAs talked to teachers, caregivers, and relatives to ensure that the children received all needed services.
1981
Cincinnati-based ProKids was founded through the joint efforts of the Junior League of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and Hamilton County Juvenile Court. ProKids’ vision is to ensure a safe, permanent, and nurturing home for every child. Since 1981, ProKids CASAs have provided intensive advocacy for children in Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
By 1981 there were 25 CASA programs nationwide; ProKids was the second in Ohio.
In its first year, ProKids established a 12-person board, had three staff members, and served more than 100 children. ProKids volunteers and staff conducted investigations that located parents, siblings, and relatives; helped find housing for families of children; and worked to keep children in loving foster care homes.
1983
Membership of the ProKids board increased to 15, committees were formed, and internal agency operation was formalized. Fund-raising efforts increased, resulting in many new funders.
1984
ProKids joined the newly formed National CASA Association and gained recognition as one of the first CASA programs to receive United Way funding. ProKids received funding from Hamilton County to contract with attorneys to act as Guardians ad Litem.
1985 to 1990
ProKids focused on securing permanency for children who were available for adoption thanks to funding from the Junior League. By 1990, ProKids was serving more than 1,000 children a year. ProKids completed the transition from using contracted GALs to salaried GALs in 1991, and the staff grew to 23.
1992 to 1995
ProKids continued to serve almost all of the children who were subjects of abuse and neglect proceedings in Hamilton County Juvenile Court. About 1,000 children were being represented by ProKids. The board worked diligently with the county to renew the contract for GAL services in 1994. After much effort and analysis, ProKids accepted a contract that provided fewer dollars than necessary to maintain a quality GAL program. At risk was the loss of the independent advocates for more than 1,000 children. ProKids took on the task of a greatly increased fund-raising campaign. The additional funds allowed ProKids to continue to provide the high quality of advocacy needed for the children.
1996
ProKids’ contract with the county to provide staff GALs came up for renewal again. After months of discussion and despite public outcry, the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office, which controls the GAL contract funds, decided to award the contract to its own organization. ProKids lost about 75 percent of its funding and staff.
The ProKids board, with strong support from the court, made the decision to continue operations. ProKids would return to providing advocacy primarily through volunteers and begin to focus exclusively on supporting CASAs. This focus led to tremendous growth and innovation. ProKids created a mentor program that allows experienced volunteers to supervise newer volunteers.
With ProKids’ growth came increasingly complex cases. Hamilton County Juvenile Court appoints ProKids CASAs to cases when children need intensive, individualized advocacy. The court has expressed the desire to have a CASA for every child.
1997 to 1999
In 1997, ProKids staff members gave presentations about Outcome Measures at the Ohio CASA/GAL State Conference.
By 1998, ProKids served 20 percent of children who were subjects of abuse and neglect proceedings in Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
The greater need for CASAs led ProKids to redesign the CASA training in 1999. The new training program, called CASA University, allows volunteers to access training year-round. In its first year, CASA University graduated more than twice the number of CASAs than in 1998. CASA University has been replicated across the country as a new and innovative way to train CASAs.
Staff members were invited to speak about Outcome Measures at the Attorney General’s Victims of Crime Conference.
2000
ProKids created Building Blocks to better serve children age birth to 3 years old. Building Blocks trains CASAs to gather more complete information about the development, environment, and care of young children so that the court can make more informed decisions.
ProKids reached 22 percent of children in need in 2000.
2001 to Present
In 2001, ProKids celebrated its 20th anniversary—20 years of helping to break the cycle of abuse and neglect for children in Hamilton County. ProKids celebrated with a Volunteer Recognition Evening Gala on May 17. Approximately 200 guests joined ProKids in celebrating past and present volunteers.
In 2002, our staff presented Outcome Measures at the National CASA/GAL Conference.
By 2001, the ProKids staff doubled and the number of active CASAs reached an agency high of 111.
In 2003, Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro presented ProKids with the Promising Practice Award for CASA University at the annual Attorney General’s Victims of Crime Conference.
The 2004 Promising Practice Award was presented to ProKids for the Building Blocks program. This is an amazing accomplishment for ProKids; only five organizations in Ohio receive this award each year.
Today, there are 38 CASA programs in Ohio and more than 900 nationwide with nearly 70,000 CASAs.
