Why you should Become a CASA:
CASA Volunteers do more than attend hearings. They build trust and rapport with the children they serve and engage with everyone involved in the child’s life, including parents, relatives, foster parents, teachers, therapists, doctors, caseworkers, and attorneys. They advocate for services that address the child’s mental, physical, educational, and medical needs, ensuring they receive the care and support necessary to heal from the effects of abuse and neglect. Most importantly, CASA Volunteers provide a stable and consistent presence for children in foster care, standing by them until a safe, permanent home is secured. Unlike other parties in the system, CASA Volunteers focus on one case at a time, ensuring unmatched dedication and advocacy.
By maintaining a sense of urgency to all children’s cases and recognizing that permanency (both legal and relational) is essential to well-being, CASA can help reduce disruptions that occur for children and youth when they enter foster care by providing a consistent presence in a child’s life. Changes in placement during time in the foster care system often result in many other changes for a child as well, including changes in school setting, neighborhood, extracurricular activities, friends, and support systems.
CASA Volunteers:
CASA Volunteers are well-trained, supervised, coached, and supported by professional CASA staff. Children with a CASA Volunteer receive more specialized services and support while in foster care than children who do not have a CASA Volunteer. CASA Volunteers work to make sure a child’s best interest is being met by:
- Identifying and addressing risks to the child’s safety and well-being.
- Identifying supportive people in the child’s life who CASA can work with to promote safety and well-being for the child during their time in foster care.
- Ensuring appropriate physical and mental health assessments are completed and the child’s needs are understood by the family and everyone involved in the case through a trauma-informed approach.
- Verifying educational assessments are completed and educational supports are in place, giving the child a better chance to successfully advance to the next grade level.
Volunteer Requirements:
- CASA Volunteers must be at least 21 years old.
- Participate in a pre-screening process which includes successfully passing criminal history and child abuse registry checks.
- Participate in pre-service training composed of classroom and self-study components.
- Commit to a minimum of 12 months as a consistent Advocate. Volunteers spend an average of 10-15 hours per month serving as a CASA.
