Be the
Difference: Volunteer
A
CASA volunteer is an ordinary citizen at least 21 years of age.
No special experience is necessary, just a sincere desire to
speak up for a child and a willingness to commit to the program
for 18 months. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life, with
a variety of professional, educational and ethnic backgrounds.
They work alongside attorneys and caseworkers as appointed
Officers of the Court, concentrating solely on the best
interests of the child. All CASA volunteers receive expert
training and must pass a background check and screening. The
average involvement by a CASA volunteer is 15 hours per month.
CASA
volunteers act as investigators, carrying out a systematic
examination of the situation, including relevant history,
environment relationships and needs of the child. As
facilitators, CASA volunteers identify resources and services
for the child and facilitate collaborative relationships between
all parties involved in the case to assist in meeting the
child’s needs. As advocates, CASA volunteers speak for the best
interests of the child in court, and through written reports to
the court, to assist the judge in making decisions on behalf of
the child. And as case monitors, CASA volunteers keep track of
court orders and ensure that the child reaches successful
permanency.
CASA
volunteers are assigned to one or two cases at a time and work
to find safe, permanent homes for abused and neglected children.
CASA volunteers fight to break the cycle of abuse for these
children. Through regular contact and strong, meaningful
relationships, children learn that there is someone that listens
and truly cares. Studies show that children assigned a CASA
volunteer have fewer relocations while in foster placement,
receive more necessary services, are visited more often, and end
up in safe and permanent homes more quickly than children
without CASA volunteers. CASA volunteers are ordinary people who
do extraordinary things for our community’s most vulnerable
children.
