CASA: Court-Appointed Special Advocate

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Volunteers

CASA volunteers are caring adults, like you, that advocate for the best interests of child victims of abuse, neglect, and human trafficking who are involved in the court system.

Help uncover facts in cases of child abuse, neglect, human trafficking, and/or custody disputes.
Get to know everyone involved in the case, developing a special relationship with the children built on trust & dependability.
Advocate for the child’s needs through conversations with service providers, participation in meetings regarding the child, and recommendations made in reports to the court.
Remain as the child’s advocate until the child finds permanency, regardless of where the child might be placed. This gives the child a consistent adult in their lives and brings continuity and case knowledge to the case, which is sometimes lost due to turnover in service providers.

CASA volunteers are very beneficial to children, and the children who are assigned a CASA tend to have much better outcomes. For example, children who have had a CASA are more likely to attend college, less likely to become parents of children in the foster care system, less likely to re-enter foster care themselves, and more likely to be prepared for adulthood.

Volunteer Training

Volunteers must be 21+, have the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing, and complete satisfactory background checks. Training is a blended curriculum with components online and in person. Volunteers must commit to at least one year with the program.

Volunteers go through comprehensive training in which they learn everything they need to know about how to be an effective advocate. SOS CASA of the Flint Hills is part of a national network of community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children in courtrooms and communities.

If you are willing to be a powerful catalyst for change in the life of an abused or neglected child, or a child victim of human trafficking, please consider CASA. To find out more, please visit https://nationalcasagal.org/ or contact our local program.