CASA volunteers are ordinary people who are concerned about the happiness and safety of all children. You do not need a social work background or legal expertise to be a good advocate, but you do need to be committed to your case and willing to advocate for what is in the child’s best interest. Part of the CASA program’s success has been its diversity of volunteers—full-time workers and stay-at-home parents, retirees and college students, people of all races, religions, and economic backgrounds who want to make a difference in the life of a child. We do require that our volunteers are 21 or older, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and successfully pass our background screening. All other skills and knowledge are taught in our extensive training program and courtroom observation.

Steps to Becoming a CASA Volunteer

1. Submit the application. 

2.Complete paperwork.
3. Have an informal interview—we'll call you to get it scheduled
4. Complete 40 hours of pre-service training--includes 30 hours of training and 10 hours of Courtroom observation
5. Smile when you're sworn in by a judge as a CASA volunteer! 

From helping siblings find permanent placement together, to finding a child a stable home with a relative, to uncovering information that helps reunite a loving family, CASA volunteers make incredible differences in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect.

As a CASA volunteer, you will talk with the child and their family members, teachers and other stakeholders to find out where the child will be happiest and safest: with the parent(s), a relative, a foster family, or an adoptive family. You will speak for the child in court by submitting a fact-based recommendation for placement to the judge. During the life of the case, you act as the one constant in the child’s life as they experience changes in foster placements, schools, and caseworkers.

Time Commitment
You will spend approximately 10 hours  per month working on your case. The beginning of a case is the intensive, fact-finding stage and may require more time. The majority of cases require presenting recommendations to the judge several times over the course of a year. As a volunteer advocate, you will be assigned to an Advocacy Coordinator, a CASA staff member, who will support your efforts and attend court hearings with you.