Requirements to be a CASA volunteer include:
Be 21 years old
Be willing to complete necessary background checks, provide references, and participate in an interview
Complete a 30-hour new volunteer training and annual continuing education
Be available as needed for court appearances
What is expected of a CASA Volunteer?
Judges appoint a trained CASA volunteer to represent the best interests of children due to abuse or neglect. Each year, more than 600,000 children experience foster care in this country.
In most cases, a CASA/GAL volunteer will stay with a case until it closes and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA/GAL volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives.
CASA/GAL volunteers get to know the child by talking with the child and others in the child's life, such as, parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers, and others. They use the information they gather and submit a report to the judge overseeing the case prior to court hearings.