What is a CASA?
Court Appointed Special Advocates are community volunteers trained professional CASA program staff to speak up for abused and neglected children in court. With the information provided by the CASA volunteers, judges are able to make more informed decisions as to what is best for the child.

Who can be a CASA?
CASA volunteers are ordinary people who care about children and youth. CASA volunteers come from all backgrounds. Many work full time although some are students or retired people. Training is required but no legal expertise, special experience or education is necessary. CASA volunteers must be at least 21 years of age and undergo a careful screening process.

Volunteers must be willing to commit to stay with their case until it is resolved. Once accepted, volunteers are trained in courtroom procedures, social services, the child welfare system and the special needs of children who have been abused and neglected. All CASA volunteers receive the complete support of professional CASA program staff to help them through each case.

What exactly does a CASA volunteer do?
Duties of the CASA volunteer complement but do not duplicate the duties of other responsible persons involved in abuse or neglect cases, such as social workers and attorneys. With the support and supervision provided by staff, the CASA volunteer gathers and assesses information, develops recommendations, and submits written and verbal reports which are considered by the court to aid in its decisions about the best course of action for the child. CASA volunteers have the time and commitment to thoroughly get to know the facts of the case, establish a relationship with the child, and follow through on the monitoring process until the child is reunified with the parents or placed in another safe, permanent home.

Investigate
CASA volunteers are assigned to children's court cases involving abuse or neglect. They thoroughly research the background of the case by reading documents and talking to everyone involved, including the child.

Facilitate 
CASA volunteers work with the other parties on the case to ensure that the case is progressing and that recommendations and court orders are being followed.

Advocate 
CASA volunteers make reports to the court and recommend what they believe is best for the child, providing the judge with information that will help him/her make an informed decision about the child's future. CASA volunteers can be instrumental in assuring that a child or family receives needed services that the court has ordered -- things such as substance abuse counseling or special education testing. 

Monitor  
During the life of a case, a CASA volunteer monitors the child's situation to make sure the child's needs are being addressed and that a permanent plan is being developed. CASA volunteers may be the only consistent adults the child knows as s/he moves through the labyrinth of the child welfare system.

©  Barbara Lavallee (1999)

What does it take to be a CASA volunteer?
 
Commitment
When a CASA takes on a case, s/he takes on a child's future. CASA volunteers are asked to stay with the case until it is resolved. This may take a year or even longer. The amount of time given to a case will vary depending on the stage of the proceedings and the complexity of the case. CASA volunteers volunteer an average of 12-15 hours per month.

Objectivity
The CASA's role is to represent the best interests of the child, and that may not always be what the child wants. CASA volunteers must be willing to talk to everyone involved in a case in order to get a clear picture of the child’s life. The CASA must remain objective and base his/her  recommendations on the information that s/he has gathered. While CASA volunteers do establish a relationship with the child, the CASA volunteer's role is not to become a "Big Brother/Sister” to the child.

Good Communication Skills
CASA volunteers must be able to talk to a wide variety of people, from healthcare professionals to school officials to an angry parent. CASA volunteers present written reports to the court and speak in the courtroom on behalf of the child's best interests.

© Barbara Lavallee (1996)

How long has CASA been around?
The first CASA program began in Seattle, Washington in 1977, when Judge David W. Soukup, then the Presiding Judge of King County Superior Court in Seattle, began using trained community volunteers to make sure abused and neglected children had an informed advocate in court. The Alaska CASA Program began in 1987 under the auspices of the state Office of Public Advocacy. Alaska CASA has programs in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Juneau and the Mat-Su Valley. In addition, there are several    Tribal CASA programs in Alaska: Kenaitze Indian Tribe CASA Program in Kenai; Ukteagvik CASA Program in Barrow; and Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribal CASA Program in Ft. Yukon.

Who are the children being represented?
The children represented by CASA volunteers range from birth through 18 years of age and come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds (Tribal CASA programs represent children whose cases are heard in their Tribal Courts). They have arrived in the court system as a result of abandonment, being born drug addicted, having been battered, sexually abused, or not receiving basic needs (food, medical care, shelter, supervision, etc.). Click here to go to the Office of Children's Services website for more state child abuse and neglect statistics.

How does a CASA get involved in a case?
When someone is concerned about the welfare of a child, s/he calls the Office of Children's Services (OCS). OCS workers investigate the report, and make a decision about the safety of the child. If a child is at risk of harm the state may ask the court for temporary custody that includes the authority to place a child in a foster home. When a child is taken into state custody the law requires that the child is assigned a guardian ad litem (GAL) by the court. GALs are paid child advocates. If a CASA volunteer is available, s/he will be assigned to the case as soon as possible and will be supervised by a GAL.

The process for children involved in a Tribal Court may differ and will be according to local Tribal Court procedures.

How does someone become a CASA?
All potential CASA volunteers complete a screening process that includes an information meeting, written application, personal interview, fingerprinting, and reference checks. CASA volunteers receive over 30 hours of classroom training, plus homework and court observations prior to being assigned a case. In addition to the core training, CASA volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education a year. All required training is provided free of charge.

What is the need for CASA volunteers in Alaska?
Alaska has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in our country. At any given time over 2000 Alaska children are living in foster care, and the professionals in the child welfare system often have very high caseloads. In contrast, CASA volunteers are assigned one or two cases and are able to give the cases the attention they need. National studies have shown that when a CASA is assigned to a case, the case is resolved in a shorter period of time and that CASA volunteers perform as well as trained attorneys in the child advocate role. A local survey conducted in April 1999 asked professionals (judges, social workers, attorneys, foster parents) their opinion of CASA volunteers. The overwhelming response was that CASA volunteers make a real difference in their cases and that there was a definite need for more CASA volunteers. In 2009 there were 212 CASA volunteers in Alaska, representing the best interests of 505 children in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenaitze Indian Tribe, and the Mat-Su Valley.