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CASA - court appointed special advocates program

Speak up for a child in Clark County

Become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate for abused or neglected children through the Clark County CASA Program. Thank you for visiting the home page of the Clark County CASA Program. In our county, CASA is a program of YWCA Clark County, a nonprofit organization. We receive funding from the YWCA, the state of Washington, Clark County, community foundations, and individual and corporate contributions.

Be the voice for a child. Become a CASA volunteer - call 360-906-9142.

See below for additional information about CASA and what community volunters do to advocate for our community's most vulnerable children. Also, please visit the National CASA and Washington CASA pages.

What is CASA?

All children have a right to a home with loving people to care for them. Each year in Clark County hundreds of children are abused, neglected or abandoned by their families. In any month, up to 500 children that were removed from their homes reside in foster care. Through no fault of their own, these children were thrust into the court system. Their only "crime" is that they have been victims. It is up to a judge to decide their future. Should they remain in foster care? Be reunited with parents? Be adopted? In these cases, many children also become victims a second time, lost in an overburdened child welfare system that cannot pay close attention to each child whose life is in its hands. Sometimes a child can remain in foster care for months, even years. That's where CASA comes in. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained volunteer appointed by the court to advocate for the child. The CASA gets to know the child and then lets the judge know the child's perspective and the child's needs.

What does a CASA do?

When you become a volunteer for the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA), you are asked to make a minimum one-year commitment to the program. Volunteers dedicate approximately 3 to 8 hours per month to advocate for abused or neglected children. You are provided 30+ hours of training. You become the voice for the child in the court system and the community.

As a CASA, you investigate the child's situation, report to the court, monitor case progress, encourage positive communications, and advocate for the best interests of the child. You'll hear from mental health and medical professionals about the issues of neglect and abuse. You'll learn how to interview the child, family and professionals to make certain all the facts are uncovered. You'll learn about courtroom procedures -what the judge expects from you, what to expect if you are asked to testify, and how to write court reports.

As long as the child is a ward of the court, you'll be asked to monitor the entire process so that the child's best interests are served, and to act as an independent voice to tell the court what you think should be done to improve the situation. Once that case is over, your involvement in that child's life will also end. Being a CASA volunteer can be challenging; sometimes it will make you angry or sad or frustrated at what you see. But when you can help just one child who's been assaulted or neglected, and when you make the difference in only one confused child's life, then you will know for certain that it is all worth it. For you and the child.

Roles of the CASA

The volunteer CASA functions in many roles, including those of:

Investigator: The CASA conducts an independent investigation on behalf of the child they represent. This investigation can include interviews with medical professionals, mental health staff, sources in the neighborhood, the child's family, school officials, law enforcement personnel, and the child.

Monitor: The CASA assures that court-ordered services are provided to the child and family, and monitors case progress.

Advocate: CASAs are the advocate for the child during the difficult judicial process. Children are often unable to articulate their hurts, fears and needs. They may not know that their own options or that their own interests may prevail over the adults who have abused or neglected them. The CASA is the spokesperson who assures that the child's wishes are heard and that the best interest of the child is presented to the court and agencies dealing with the child.

Reporter: The CASA presents information to the court in written form and oral testimony at each hearing (approximately every six months) in the proceedings to assist the court in determining what is in the child's best interest.

Staff are available to assist the CASA with these tasks.

Call today.
Make a difference in the life of a child who needs your voice.
360-906-9142.