Why
are CASA volunteers needed?
Alaska
has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in our country.
Professionals in the child welfare system often have very high caseloads. CASA volunteers
are assigned 1 or 2 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, it is
resolved in a shorter period of time, getting children into safe, permanent
homes more quickly. A local survey conducted in April 1999 asked professionals
(judges, social workers, attorneys, and foster parents) their opinion of CASA
volunteers. The overwhelming response was that CASA volunteers make a real difference for
the children in their cases and that there was a definite need for more CASA
volunteers.
How
can I help?
 You can offer your skills
and your time as a CASA
—one of the most challenging and rewarding volunteer
opportunities you can find. Children in our state need you to be
a powerful
voice for them. Alaska CASA
provides free training and supervision for you to learn to become that voice for a child.
© Barbara Lavallee (1993)
CASA
volunteer candidates must undergo a screening process that includes a written
application, personal interview, references check, fingerprint and child
protection records check. Potential volunteers must also attend an information
meeting prior to participating in training. Check the training
calendar
for
upcoming information meetings and training. If
you are ready to become a CASA volunteer, proceed to the Application Forms section
below to download the application.
Please
note: Due to the nature of this volunteer opportunity, we
regret that not every applicant is accepted.
Application Forms
We have attached an
application
form as a
pdf file.
Note: You may view many of our documents using Adobe Acrobat® Reader — free
software for viewing and printing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files on
major hardware and operating system platforms. Click
here to download a free copy. (Please be patient:
some files may load
slowly, depending on your connection speed.)
If you need more
information, please contact the
program coordinator in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau or
the Mat-Su Valley.
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