Court Appointed Special Advocates of Morris and Sussex Counties, Inc.
VOLUNTEER FAQ
© 2003 - 2008 CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rev. January 14, 2008
What is a Court Appointed Special Advocate?
Who Can Become a CASA Volunteer? brief
Is there a "typical" CASA Volunteer?
What are the Qualifications to become a CASA Volunteer? detailed
In What Ways do CASAs Represent the Best Interests of a Child? brief
How do CASAs Gather Information Needed to be an Effective Advocate? brief
What is the Job Description of the CASA Volunteer? detailed
What are the Specific Duties of a CASA Volunteer? detailed
How much time is involved in being a CASA Volunteer?
What is the daytime commitment?
How are CASA Volunteers Prepared to Fulfill their Role?
What Support do CASA Volunteers Receive to Fulfill their Role?
How is CASA different from the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)?
How does the role of a CASA Volunteer differ from the role of an attorney?
How attached does a CASA Volunteer become to the child(ren)?
How does a CASA Volunteer relate to the child he or she represents?
Which children are assigned CASA Volunteers?
How many cases does a CASA Volunteer carry at one time?
How long does a CASA Volunteer remain involved in a case?
Do CASAs go into the homes of birth parents whose children have been removed?
How do professionals feel about CASAs?
Are there other ways in which I can support the CASA program?
What is a Court Appointed Special Advocate?
A Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, is a community volunteer trained to be the voice of an abused or neglected child.
Who Can Become a CASA Volunteer?
CASA Volunteers come from all walks of life. No specific background, or prior training or education is required. However, due to the sensitivity of the role played by the CASA Volunteer, we regret that not every applicant is accepted.
Is there a "typical" CASA Volunteer?
CASA volunteers come from all walks of life, with a variety of professional, educational and ethnic backgrounds. There are more than 73,000 CASA volunteers nationally. Aside from their CASA volunteer work, 52% are employed in regular full-time jobs; the majority tend to be professionals. Nationwide, women account for 82% of the volunteers; 18% are men. CASA of Morris & Sussex Counties has approximately 160 active volunteers
What are the Qualifications to become a CASA Volunteer?
- Interest in children, their rights and special needs
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication skills oral and written
- Minimum age requirement is 21 years of age
- No criminal history
- Organizational skills
- Objectivity
- Personal interview, prior to training
- Four favorable references from sources other than relatives
- Attend CASA training, which is approximately 30 hours in length.
- One year commitment from assignment date
- Attend a minimum of three in-service training sessions a year
In What Ways do CASAs Represent the Best Interests of a Child?
Each time the case goes to Court, the CASA submits a report that summarizes the history and describes recent developments of the case and the needs of the child or children in the family. The CASA makes recommendations that are in the child's best interest. These recommendations may include where the child should live, what services the child should receive, and how often and under what circumstances the child should visit with the biological parents. The CASA focuses on the permanent plan for the child. We advocate for timely permanence, so that a child may have the benefit of a stable environment and not be moved from home to home.
How do CASAs Gather Information Needed to be an Effective Advocate?
The volunteer thoroughly researches the facts of the case by talking to professionals who work with the child, as well as to relatives, foster parents, teachers, doctors, and anyone else who may have relevant information.
The CASA also makes regular visits to observe the child in the current placement, which may be a foster home, group home or residential center. The CASA may also interview the biological parents to learn what they are doing to remedy the situation that triggered the family's involvement with The Division of Youth and Family Services and with the Family Court.
What is the Job Description of the CASA Volunteer?
A CASA volunteer needs specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills to effectively advocate for a child. Children who have been abused or neglected are often without a voice in the court system. A CASA volunteer can be that voice and advocate for their best interests.
An effective advocate is able to:
- Handle each case with the single goal of advocating for interventions and services designed to ensure that the child is in a safe, stable and permanent home as soon as possible;
- Work within the parameters of federal and state laws governing child abuse and neglect cases; and
- Under the guidance of the CASA staff:
- conduct an independent investigation and gather facts for their individual case to ascertain the needs of the child;
- collaborate with the child (when possible), the childs family, the Division of Youth & Family Services, and other service providers to identify the appropriate resources for meeting the needs of the child and to determine where those resources are available;
- consistently design and present to the court fact-based recommendations so that appropriate resources can be ordered to meet the needs of the child; and
- monitor the case until the child is in a safe, permanent home.
What are the Specific Duties of a CASA Volunteer?
- Maintain confidentiality
- Become familiar with all relevant facts through personal interviews and a review of all records and documents.
- Explore alternatives
- Attend hearings and agency reviews as scheduled.
- Facilitate court ordered plan.
- Prepare written reports for the Court and/or the Child Placement Review Board.
- Submit reports in a timely fashion.
- Report significant changes in the case to case supervisors and agencies involved.
- Maintain and secure confidential records.
- Maintain ongoing communication with case supervisor to receive support and keep information up to date.
How much time is required to be a CASA?
Once a volunteer completes the 30-hour training program, he or she will spend from 3 20 hours a month. The required time varies with the circumstances of the case as well as the degree of involvement of the volunteer. Volunteers must complete the training program before being appointed to a case.
What is the daytime commitment?
- Observation of Family Court - one weekday morning (approx. 3 hours), to complete the CASA training.
- Case assignment - approx. 1 hour. After you are assigned your case, you will spend from 1 2 hours reading the Child Placement Review Board file in the Courthouse. You will next visit the Division of Youth and Family Services office to read their record. This can take from 1 5 hours.
- If you have a case that is reviewed in Court, (not all CASA cases are periodically reviewed by the Judge), you would want to attend Court that day approximately 3 hours (9am noon.) These reviews are usually held at three-month intervals. The other type of CASA case is reviewed annually by the Child Placement Review Board, which meets during the evening.
- Daytime meetings take place at various agencies - 1 2 hours, usually once in a six-month period.
- If the child is school age - you may want to visit their school to meet with the Principal, guidance counselor, and/or teacher, which can only be done during the day.
- Most contact, after the initial one with agencies and their staff, can be done over the phone - you must be able to talk in private on the phone during the day.
- Visits to CASA children, relatives, and some agencies can take place in the evening or weekend.
How are CASA Volunteers Prepared to Fulfill their Role?
The CASA volunteer first completes a rigorous 30-hour training program. The CASA is also expected to attend brief in-service seminars in order to learn about changes in the legal and social services environments.
What Support do CASA Volunteers Receive to Fulfill their Role?
Once appointed to a case, the CASA volunteer is assigned a case supervisor who provides ongoing support and supervision.
How is CASA different from the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)?
The case managers from DYFS each have many cases. They have to provide services for the whole family. A CASA concentrates only on one child or family of children.
CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties, Inc. is a not for profit agency. We are not part of the Court or social services system. This helps us to maintain an independence from those agencies.
How does the role of a CASA Volunteer differ from the role of an attorney?
The CASA volunteer does not provide legal representation in the courtroom. That is the role of an attorney. A CASA volunteer does not represent the child's wishes in court. Rather, they speak to the child's best interests.
How attached does a CASA become to the child(ren)?
CASAs do not have a close relationship with the child the way that a Big Brother or Big Sister would. As an advocate, you see the child approximately once a month. The CASA role is to facilitate services for the child, not to have the child or the family become dependent upon them. CASAs will often develop a close relationship with the child(ren), but they do not get so attached that they lose their objectivity.
How does a CASA Volunteer relate to the child he or she represents?
CASA volunteers offer children advocacy and work to gain their trust. They visit the child, on average, once a month. During these visits they listen to the child's opinion of where they would like to live permanently, what their hopes are for the future, while remaining objective observers. They may help encourage a child to cooperate with treatment, to expand their interests into positive activities, foster sibling visits, and be there to listen to a lonely child.
Which children are assigned CASA Volunteers?
Children who are victims of abuse and neglect, and have been removed from their homes and are in temporary placement, are assigned CASA volunteers.
How many cases does a CASA Volunteer carry at one time?
Most CASA Volunteers in Morris & Sussex Counties have just one case.
How long does a CASA Volunteer remain involved in a case?
Volunteers commit one year to the program. 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 and provides continuity for a child. The average duration of cases in Morris & Sussex Counties is approximately 18 months.
Do CASA Volunteers go into the homes of birth parents whose children have been removed?
CASAs meet birth parents in neutral places such as diners, fast food restaurants, the place they may go for therapy or visits with their child, or in the Courthouse. The safety of the volunteer is very important to us. If the child is going to be reunited with the parent(s) the CASA often goes to visit where they live shortly before this takes place, as part of their independent assessment of the situation.
How do professionals feel about CASAs?
We are very fortunate that we have a wonderful working relationship with Division of Youth and Family Services, Family Court, and the other service providers involved with the CASA children. We are constantly working cooperatively and meet on a regular basis to prevent misunderstandings.
CASA is endorsed Nationally by the American Council of Family Court Judges and by the American Bar Association. CASA is a priority project of the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Are there other ways in which I can support the CASA program?
Yes. Some of the other ways to support the CASA program include: assisting at fund raising events; helping with community relations; English/Spanish translation; performing administrative or clerical tasks in the CASA office; and making a financial contribution. Please complete a Volunteer Inquiry Form if you would like us to contact you about these or other opportunities.