CASA volunteers are ordinary people – men and women, students and executives, retirees, and busy professionals. CASA will provide all of the training you need to be a powerful voice for a child’s best interest.
What is CASA?
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. It is a national nonprofit program that recruits, trains, supervises, and supports community volunteers who advocate for abused, neglected, and/or abandoned children who are dependents of the court and in the child welfare system.
What is a CASA volunteer?
A CASA volunteer is a trained community member who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interest of a child. The CASA volunteer spends time with the child on a weekly basis getting to know the child while also gathering information from the child’s family, teachers, doctors, caregivers, and others involved in the child’s life.
Why do children need CASA volunteers?
Most children who enter the child welfare system do so because of abuse or neglect by their primary caregiver. This situation frequently leaves children without a strong adult in their lives to ensure they are safe and that their medical, educational, developmental, and personal needs are met. Social Service caseworkers and attorneys often have caseloads of over 30 children, which can hamper caseworker’s ability to give individualized attention and support to the children they represent. CASA volunteers are generally assigned to one child for the duration of their case. This is why the committed service of a trained CASA volunteer makes a real difference to a judge who can depend on a CASA for a well-researched recommendation on the child’s needs and to the child who has a consistent adult to count on during such a difficult time in their lives.
How are CASA volunteers different from social service caseworkers?
Social workers are employed by government agencies and work on as many as 30 cases at a time involving the whole family. Most families include more than one child. The CASA volunteer focuses on the child. CASA volunteers do not replace a social worker; they are an independent appointee of the court. The CASA volunteer thoroughly examines a child’s case and identifies various community resources that are available and makes recommendations to the court. Is being a CASA volunteer the same as being a mentor? CASA volunteers are appointed to children who have come to the attention of the juvenile court system due to abuse or neglect. Like a mentoring program, the CASA volunteer does develop a relationship with the child through frequent contact; however, the primary role of the CASA volunteer is to gather information about the child, write reports to the court and attend court hearings. CASA is not a mentoring program. The CASA volunteer does not involve the child in their personal life and does not play an active role in the child’s day-to-day life. Instead, the CASA volunteer is involved with the child and the case while the child is in foster care, to help him or her during this difficult time to help have the best possible outcome. Once the case has ended, the CASA volunteer role also ends.
How much time is required to volunteer?
Each case and child is different. A CASA volunteer is required to visit their case child on a weekly basis for a minimum of one hour. Volunteers donate an average of 8-10 hours a month spending time with the child and gathering information. Volunteers are asked to commit until the case has been closed—a minimum of one year. The CASA volunteer is often the only consistent adult in the child’s life who stays involved in the case from beginning to end, providing stability and continuity that is desperately needed.
What qualifications are needed to volunteer?
No special background or education is required to become a CASA volunteer. We encourage people from all cultures and professions, and of all ethnic and educational backgrounds. Once accepted into the program, you will receive all necessary training in courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system, and the special needs of abused and neglected children.
- You must be 21 years old Complete necessary background checks
- Provide references and participate in an interview
- Complete a minimum of 30 hours of pre-service training
When you become a CASA volunteer you agree:
- To see the child weekly
- Have regular communication with CASA staff and follow through on the case
- Maintain a very high level of confidentiality regarding the case to which you are assigned
- Provide information to the court by submitting a court report
- Submit a monthly report/hours volunteered
How does someone become a volunteer?
Volunteers complete an application process that includes a screening interview, background and reference checks, and 30 hours of pre-service training. After completion of the pre-service training, volunteers are sworn-in as officers of the court. This gives them the legal authority to conduct research on the child’s situation and submit reports to the court.
Ready to Volunteer?
Please contact us for more information and/or an application packet!