Is CASA for You?
Why CASA?
Be Part of Something Special
You could volunteer for any number of other organizations that help children. But CASA is something special. Unlike any other volunteer opportunity, CASA empowers everyday people to serve as officers of the court and work with and on behalf of a foster child. Because of their important position in the court system, CASA volunteers can make a lifelong difference in the life of the child they represent and stop the cycle of abuse and neglect for generations to come.
Besides the incredible opportunity CASA provides to make a lifelong difference for an abused child, volunteering for CASA has other benefits as well.
Learn
As a CASA, you will be able to practice and hone the skills you already have and learn new ones. CASA volunteers learn how to:
- Interview the child, the parties in the case, and others involved in the child’s life – therapists, teachers, doctors and relatives;
- Assess and analyze information gathered to form solid recommendations to the court;
- Help create solutions for children and families;
- Make oral presentations in court and at mediations, in meetings at school, at child placing agencies, at Child Protective Services;
- Write formal reports to the court and parties in the case;
- Testify effectively in court.
Before being assigned a case, CASA volunteers participate in at least thirty (30) hours of training on everything they’ll need to become an effective advocate:
- Child development;
- The child protection system;
- Releated laws and policies;
- Family dynamics;
- Abuse and neglect;
- Substance abuse;
- Mental illness;
- Domestic violence;
- Cultural Awareness;
- Educational advocacy; and
- Medical advocacy.
After training, the CASA is sworn in by a judge and assigned a case that fits their needs and skill-level. CASA volunteers receive 12 hours a year in continuing education to enhance their knowledge and advocacy skills.
Be A Child’s Hero
Do you like to rock babies? Or, do you want to help a group of siblings see each other more often? Or, maybe you would like to help a teenager get the algebra tutoring they need. You can choose the kind of case you are assigned to. No matter which child you end up representing, as a CASA volunteer you can change the direction of that child’s life. You can help a child move out of a life of abuse and neglect and dysfunction, into a life full of health, happiness, and hope.
Join the Family
CASA volunteers are part of the CASA family in their communities, in Texas, and nationwide. The CASA family of volunteers is more than 900,000 strong in the U.S. and covers all 50 states. Right here in Texas, there are more than 5,000 CASA volunteers in 204 counties. The CASA family is full of smart, talented and compassionate men and women that each brings their own unique abilities and ideas to the CASA experience to provide excellent advocacy for children.