Right now in the U.S. 580,000 children have been removed from their families and placed in some form of foster care. They have committed no crime, but are simply victims -- children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. It is then up to a judge to decide their future. The judge must consider:

Is the home now "safe" so the child may be returned? Or should that child be permanently placed in another home?

In the past, judges have often had to base these decisions on incomplete information. Overburdened child welfare workers and attorneys have not had the time or resources to thoroughly monitor court orders, or to find out first hand what was really best for each individual child. As reports of abuse and neglect keep crowding court dockets, more and more children have become "lost" in the confusing maze of the foster care system.

Today, more than 47,000 people across the nation are speaking up for these children as child advocates Voices for Children volunteers. Voices for Children volunteers are lay people from the community who are appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of children whose cases are before the court. Advocates serve as the eyes and ears of the court, gathering relevant information about the child and the family. They then make recommendations to the judge regarding what is in the child's best interests.

This national problem hits close to home. Within the city limits of St. Louis last year there were nearly 3,000 children in foster care. Voices for Children is a not-for-profit corporation that was formed to provide volunteers to speak up for these city children in court. Our advocates are ordinary people from a wide variety of backgrounds, doing extraordinary things, all with one thing in common: they care about children. They serve as Guardians ad Litem and speak up for children who have been determined by the Court to be abused, neglected or abandoned. Our mission is to ensure through advocacy that these children have a safe home, free from abuse and neglect. Our goal is to provide a Voices for Children advocate for every child in foster care and we believe in the right of each child to a safe and permanent home.

By advocating for accessible and appropriate services for children and their parents, Voices for Children attempts to maximize the potential for family reunification, when it is in the best interests of the child to do so. When reunification is not possible, we advocate for the child's placement in a nurturing adoptive family, hopefully within the child's sense of time. Voices for Children also works to improve laws, policies and procedures that impact children and to heighten the community's awareness concerning the needs of abused and neglected children.

For more about Voices for Children, read our Letter from the Executive Director, browse the fact sheet, see Who Supports VFC, check the Board listing, read supporting statements and if you still have questions, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.