About
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained community volunteer appointed by the 21st Judicial
Court to speak for the best interests of children who are brought before the court for reasons of abuse and
neglect. The CASA volunteer visits the child, gathers information, reviews court facts about the case,
submits court reports and attends hearings and scheduled meetings on their case.
CASA PROGRAM GOALS/OBJECTIVES:
- To provide independent, factual information to the court regarding abused and neglected
children.
- To provide advocacy for children involved in a Dependency & Neglect case.
- To monitor cases involving abused and neglected children that are assigned to the CASA program.
- To conduct independent and objective analysis concerning abused and neglected children.
- To insure representation of the child’s best interest in all judicial proceedings.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Complete an intensive independent review of each case.
- Speak with the child and relevant adults to gather information.
- Review appropriate records and reports.
- Observe the child and significant others in different settings/environments.
- Attend staffing’s/meetings relevant to the child in order to obtain or present information relevant to the child.
- Report findings to the court.
- Provide a written report containing factual information.
- Attend court hearings concerning the child.
- Meet and debrief with assigned Volunteer Coordinator on a regular basis.
REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:
- Ability to keep all client and court information confidential.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Ability to respect and relate to people from various backgrounds (economic, cultural, educational) in a variety of settings.
- Ability to transport self to a variety of locations.
- Ability to appropriately deal with hostility, anger and other emotional attitudes.
- Ability to maintain objectivity.
- Ability to gather and record factual information accurately.
- A basic understanding of child development.
- A basic understanding of family relationships.
TRAINING:
CASA volunteers are required to attend approximately 30 hours of pre-service training. CASA volunteers shall complete a minimum of 12 additional hours of training per calendar year following their initial training. Additionally, all CASA volunteers must successfully pass a criminal and child welfare background check.
Registration
Opens Jan 9, 2023 12:00am
Requirement Details
This opportunity requires interacting with caseworkers, lawyers, and court officials in a professional manner. This opportunity does require a volunteer to submit court reports and submit regular documentation. This will also include 4-5 weeks of onboarding (approximately 1 hour per week) with an additional 12 hours of required training per year.
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