CASA PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The goal of the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program is to prevent abused and neglected children from becoming lost in the juvenile dependency system.  The objective of matching a CASA volunteer, a trained advocate from the community, is to ensure that the child's best interest is represented in court.  The volunteer has three (3) essential roles as an advocate:

•  To be the child's voice in court, representing their best interests.
•  To assist the Juvenile court by researching and assessing the    circumstances of each  case, make a report of their findings and make recommendations to the court. 
• Continue to monitor the progress of the case as it moves through the system to reduce judicial delays and continuances.  

The program receives referrals directly from the Juvenile Court.  CASA's are matched to the child and provide approximately 12 hours of service per month on casework.  After reviewing case information and court reports, the volunteer prepares a court report containing their research, evaluations and recommendations for the child.  The Juvenile Court Judge reviews and considers the CASA report along with the social worker's report prior to making a decision.  CASAs receive professional and ongoing training in skills necessary to fulfill his or her responsibilities.  A CASA attends all Juvenile Court hearings.

CASA volunteers are in a unique position, as they provide information not usually available to the Court.  Because of the enormous number of cases filed in Juvenile Court and dwindling resources to adequately investigate cases, judges are often compelled to make permanency  planning decisions on less than complete or abjective data.  Decisions are further complicated in situations where a social worker is in direct conflict with a parent's request.  The objective and unbiased recommendation of a volunteer who has no vested interest in the case other than the best interest of the child, is an invaluable aid to the judge.

In addition to our services for abused and neglected children, the CASA program works to provide community education and awareness surrounding the issues of child abuse, neglect and child welfare policy.  We are also committed to working towards public policies that promote child abuse prevention and address reforms in the juvenile dependency system.