What is the role a CASA Volunteer Advocate?
CASA Volunteer Advocates provide the court with reports that assist the court in making decisions in the best interest of a Child in Need of Care. The CASA Volunteer Advocate helps determine if it is in a child's best interest to : stay with his/her parent(s)/guardian(s), be placed in foster care (temporarily or permanently), be placed with other relatives (temporarily or permanently), or be released for adoption.
What is the minimum age for a CASA Volunteer Advocate?
A CASA Volunteer Advocate must be at least 21 years of age.
How is a CASA Volunteer Advocate different from a social worker?
Social workers generally are employed by state governments or are contracted out to agencies. These case workers can work on as many as 40 cases at a time. This makes it difficult for the case workers to be able to give each case their undivided attention. A CASA Volunteer Advocate works just one case at a time and therefore has more time to dedicate to the case. The CASA Volunteer Advocate also has more freedom to explore creative solutions or alternatives as the volunteer is not bound by the same restrictions that a social service caseworker. CASA Volunteer Advocates are also usually the only ones with a case from start to finish due to the frequent turnover of social workers.
How many cases on average does a CASA Volunteer Advocate have at a time?
A CASA Volunteer Advocate would have one case at a time, but there are occasionally exceptions.
How effective is the CASA program?
Research suggests that children who have a CASA Volunteer Advocate have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children, and that they and their families receive more services than children who have no CASA Volunteer Advocate. Children with CASA Volunteer Advocates spend less time in foster care, are less likely to be bounced from foster placement to foster placement, and do better in school than those without CASA involvement.
How much time does being a CASA Volunteer Advocate require?
Although each case is different, a CASA Volunteer Advocate usually spends about 10-15 hours each month on their case.
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer Advocate is someone who is trained and then appointed to advocate for the best interests of a Child in Need of Care (due to abuse and/or neglect).
What is a CASA Volunteer Advocate?
The CASA Volunteer Advocate visits with the child, parents, family members, social workers, school officials, health providers and others who are knowledgeable about the child. The Volunteer Advocate also reviews all records pertaining to the child: school, medical, dental, and the caseworker reports, as well as anything else needed to make informed recommenations to the court.
How does a Volunteer Advocate investigate?
The CASA Volunteer Advocate does not provide legal representation. In Kansas, a Child in Need of Care has a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) appointed to them to provde legal representation.