A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a child in court.  Children helped by CASA volunteers include those for whom home placement is being determined in juvenile court. The children are victims of abuse and neglect.

What is the CASA volunteer's role?

A CASA volunteer provides a judge with carefully researched background of the child to help the court make a sound decision about that child's future.  Each home placement case is as unique as the child involved.  The CASA volunteer must determine if it is in a child's best interest to stay with his or her parents or guardians, be placed in foster care, or be freed for permanent adoption.  The CASA volunteer makes a recommendation on placement to the judge, and follows through on the case until it is permanently resolved.

How does a CASA volunteer investigate a case?

To prepare a recommendation, the CASA volunteer talks with the child, parents, family members, social workers, school officials, health providers and others who are knowledgeable about the child's history.  The CASA volunteer also reviews all records pertaining to the child -- school, medical and caseworker reports; and other documents.

How many cases on average does a CASA volunteer carry at a time?

The Boston CASA Program assigns one case at a time to volunteers.

Yes.  Juvenile court judges implement the CASA program in their courtrooms and appoint volunteers.  CASA has been endorsed by the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice.

How effective have CASA programs been?

Research suggests that children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and less time within the foster care system than those who do not have CASA representation.  Judges have observed that CASA children also have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children.

Each case is different.  A CASA volunteer usually spends about 10 hours doing research and conducting interviews prior to the first court appearance.  More complicated cases take longer.  Once initiated into the system, volunteers work about 10-15 hours a month.

How long does a CASA volunteer remain involved with a case?

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 in the proceedings, and provides continuity for a child.  The Boston CASA Program requires an 18-month commitment.