Change a Child’s Story™: CASA - Then You Came Along - 60 seconds
HOW TO VOLUNTEER:
Attend an information session to learn more about our program, a CASA’s role and responsibilities, and next steps in the process of becoming an advocate. If you would like someone from CASA for Children to come speak at your event, workplace, etc, please fill out the Speaker Request Form and we will follow up with you.
Questions? Contact recruitment@casahelpskids.org
WHO IS A CASA?
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is the tireless and passionate protector of a child who has been abused or neglected and is going through the trauma of the foster care system. They are adult volunteers who are trained, appointed by the court, and are committed to ensuring each individual child’s needs remain a priority in an over-burdened child welfare system.
When a CASA is given a child’s case, they are also given unprecedented authority to investigate the conditions a child is facing. They can talk to a child’s parents, teachers, doctors and therapists. They need to consider what is best for the child, investigate facts of the case, and accurately communicate the child’s conditions to the presiding judge. They work tirelessly to make the child’s experience in the court system as safe, efficient and quick as possible.
CASAs have sharp minds, even temperaments, are tireless investigators, and compassionate advocates for the best interests of a child. But perhaps the most important quality is the ability to give your heart and soul to a child in need, and then be able to walk away when a case is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.
We are always in need of volunteers who want to make a lasting difference in the lives of children who have been abused or neglected in our community. Please consider helping find a safe and permanent home for these children in the court system and become a CASA.
ABOUT CASA
When a child who has been abused and neglected is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively.
BECOME AN ADVOCATE
We need volunteers more than ever to help children find a safe, permanent home. Become a CASA and make a lasting difference in a child's life, and a deeply meaningful one in your own.
DONATE NOW
Donate now online, it’s a safe and secure way to give. Your support will help children in our community who have been abused or neglected find safe, permanent homes.
WHO CAN VOLUNTEER?
It takes a special individual to become a CASA volunteer:
• First and foremost, CASA volunteers need to be passionately dedicated to helping children who have been abused or neglected during their most dire times of need.
• CASA volunteers need to be willing to dedicate 35 hours to training, and commit to seeing their cases through to the final resolution – of a safe and permanent home for the child(ren) involved.
• CASA volunteers need to be tireless advocates on behalf of their children. They need to consider what’s best for the child, investigate and accurately communicate the child’s conditions to the presiding judge, as they work to make the child’s experience in the court system safe, efficient and quick as possible.
• A CASA volunteer must be compassionate and objective. Since they are not to be in contact with the child after the case, our volunteers must be able to walk away from a successful outcome knowing that they’ve given the child the best chance at a new life.
• A CASA volunteer must be at least 21 years of age and be able to pass reference checks and an Oregon Department of Human Services and criminal background check before becoming a child advocate. You may not be a current foster parent or be in the process of adopting a child from DHS.
If this sounds like a good fit, please volunteer to become a child advocate: your services are needed more than ever! And if becoming a child advocate is not for you, please contact us to find out about other volunteer opportunities.