| What is the role of a CASA volunteer? |
A CASA volunteer provides a judge with carefully
researched background details about the child to help the
court make a sound decision about that child's future.
Each home placement case is as unique as the child
involved. The CASA volunteer must determine if the
best interest of the child is staying with their parents or
guardians, being placed in foster care, or being 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 do CASA volunteers 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
volunteer also reviews all records pertaining to the
child-school, medical, case worker reports and other
documents. |
How are CASA volunteers different from social
service caseworkers? |
Social workers generally are employed by state
governments sometimes working on as many as 60 to 90
cases at a time; they are frequently unable to conduct a
comprehensive investigation of each case. The CASA
volunteer has more time and a smaller caseload (average
of 1-2 cases) to investigate a case. The CASA volunteer
does not replace a social worker on a case; they are an
independent appointee of the court. The CASA
volunteer thoroughly examines a child's case, knows
about various community resources and makes
recommendations to the court independent of state
agency restrictions. |
How are CASA volunteers different from
attorneys? |
The CASA volunteer does not provide legal
representation in the courtroom-that is the role of the
attorney. However, the CASA volunteer does provide
crucial background information that assists attorneys in
presenting their cases. It is important to remember that
CASA volunteers do not represent a child's wishes in
court. Rather, they speak for the child's best interests. |
| Is there a "typical" CASA volunteer? |
CASA volunteers come from all walks of life and possess
a variety of professional, educational and ethnic
backgrounds. There are more than 70,000 CASA
volunteers nationally. Local programs vary in number of
volunteers they utilize. Aside from their CASA volunteer
work, 64 percent are employed in full- or part-time jobs;
the majority tend to be professionals with 58% college or
university graduates. The majority (82%) of the
volunteers nationwide are women. |
How do CASA volunteers advocate for
children? |
CASA volunteers offer children trust and advocacy
during complex legal proceedings. They help explain to
the child the events happening involving the case,
reasons they are in court and the roles of the judge,
lawyers and case workers. While remaining objective
observers, CASA volunteers also encourage the child to
express his or her own opinion and hopes about the case. |
| How many cases does a CASA volunteer carry at a time? |
The number varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but
an average caseload is one to two. |
Do lawyers, judges and social caseworkers
support CASA? |
Yes. Juvenile and family court judges implement the
CASA program in their courtrooms and appoint
volunteers. CASA has been endorsed by the American
Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and
Family Court Judges, and the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of
Justice. |
| Does the federal government support CASA? |
CASA is a priority project of the Department of Justice's
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The office encourages the establishment of new CASA
programs, assists established CASA programs, and
provides partial funding for the National CASA
Association. |
| How many CASA programs exist? |
There are now 930 CASA programs in every state across
the country, including Washington DC and the U.S.
Virgin Islands. |
| How effective are CASA programs? |
|
Preliminary findings show that children who have been
assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in
court and less time in the foster care system than those
who do not have CASA representation. Judges have
observed that CASA advocated children also have better
chances of finding permanent homes. |
| How much time is required to volunteer? |
Each case is different. A CASA volunteer usually spends
about 10 hours doing research and conducting interviews
prior to the first court appearance. More complicated
cases take longer. Once initiated into the system,
volunteers work about 10 hours a month. |
How long does a CASA volunteer remain
involved? |
The volunteer continues until the case is permanently
resolved. One of the primary benefits of the CASA
program is that, unlike other court principals who often
rotate cases, the CASA volunteer is a consistent figure in
the proceedings and provides continuity for a child. |
Are there other agencies or groups providing
a similar 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
interests. |
| What children are assigned CASA volunteers? |
Children who are victims of abuse and neglect and
become wards of the court are assigned CASA
volunteers. The program is most common in juvenile
and family court cases. |
| How is CASA funded? |
|
At the local level, CASA programs are generally funded
through a state's department of justice. Many programs
are privately funded through service organizations such
as the Junior League and the National Council of Jewish
Women. The National CASA Association is funded
through a combination of private grants, federal funds
(U.S. Justice Department), memberships and
contributions. |
