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Be a Powerful Voice for a Child.
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What
is CASA?
A Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer is a citizen who is appointed by a
judge to represent the best interests of a child in court. Children helped by CASA volunteers include
those for whom home placement is being determined in juvenile court. Most of the children are victims of abuse and
neglect.
What
is a CASA volunteer’s role?
A CASA
volunteer provides a judge with a carefully researched background of the child
to help make a sound decision about the child’s future. Each home placement case is as unique as the
child involved. The CASA volunteer must
determine if it is in a child’s best interest to stay with his or her parents
or guardians, be placed in foster care, or be freed for permanent
adoption. The CASA volunteer makes a
recommendation on placement to the judge, and follows through on the case until
it is permanently resolved.
How
does a CASA volunteer investigate a case?
To prepare
a recommendation, the CASA volunteer talks with the child, parents, family
members, social workers, school officials, health providers, and others who are
knowledgeable about the child’s history.
The CASA volunteers also reviews all records pertaining to the child –
school, medical, and caseworker reports; and other documents.
Can
anyone volunteer to be a CASA?
CASA
volunteers are ordinary citizens. No
special or legal background is required.
Volunteers are screened closely for objectivity, competence, and
commitment. Volunteers possess the
qualities of objectivity, communication skills, ability to work with a variety
of people, ability to serve during the entire litigation of the case, and
willingness and ability to learn.
Volunteers undergo 35 hours of training before being appointed to a
case.
How
effective have CASA programs been?
Preliminary
findings show that children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to
spend less time in court and less time within the foster care system than those
who do not have CASA representation.
Judges have observed that CASA children also have better chances of
finding permanent homes than non-CASA children.
How
much time does it require?
Each case
is different. A CASA volunteer usually
spends about 20 - 30 hours doing research and conducting interviews prior to
the first court appearance. More
complicated cases take longer. Once
initiated into the system, volunteers work 10-15 hours a month.
How
long does a CASA volunteer remain involved with a case?
The
volunteer continues until the case is permanently resolved. One of the primary benefits of the CASA
program is that, unlike other principals who often rotate cases, the CASA
volunteer is a consistent figure in the proceedings, and provides continuity
for the child.
Are there any other agencies or groups that provide
the same service?
No. There are other child advocacy organizations,
but CASA is the only program where volunteers are appointed by the court to
represent a child’s best interest.
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