In the 16th Judicial District, children, families, lawyers, judges, and service providers all move across county lines. Until now, Piedmont CASA Volunteers were limited to taking cases that originated in only four of its nine localities. This has meant that children in Madison who find themselves in foster care due to allegations of abuse and neglect are going without the services and support of a CASA. It is for their sake that we are expanding our service area.

In their report for 2022, the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) stated that Madison had an average of 20 children in each month. The average time in care was 29 months, which is above the state average. For the 60% of children who exited to adoption, that time was closer to 42 months. Piedmont CASA Volunteers can help reduce the amount of time these children spend in care. The demographics of Madison County are about 85% White, 9% Black, and 3% Multiracial. There is an Hispanic population of 3.5%. In 2022, approximately 71% of Madison County children in foster care were White, 21% were Black, and 8% Multiracial.