Officials say federal cuts to child advocacy court program won’t impact South Dakota.
The program is known as Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA. It trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children within the judicial system.
The federal government is cutting funding for the program amid the latest wave of cost-cutting measures.
State Court Administrator Greg Sattizahn said South Dakota’s CASA programs are not reliant on national funds.
“South Dakota CASA State Administered Organization remains committed to supporting local programs in delivering high-quality volunteer advocacy, securing adequate resources, and achieving programmatic excellence as well as fidelity to the core CASA model,” said Sattizahn. “We do this through providing resources, technical assistance and shared services to local CASA programs.”
The state’s CASA network includes eight local nonprofits and is administered and staffed by the state Unified Judicial System. Officials said in 2024, 338 volunteers provided CASA services to 658 children in 37 counties in South Dakota. These numbers are expected to increase in 2025 with the implementation of services by two new CASA programs serving the Fifth Judicial Circuit and Sixth Judicial Circuit.