Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ventura County

Description

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ventura County recruits, screens, trains, and supports citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected foster children in courtrooms and communities.

The CASA volunteer then spends 10-15 hours per month working on their assigned case, which not only includes building a one-on-one relationship with a child, but also communicating with the child’s social worker and others who can offer insight into the well-being of the child, which may include relatives, parents, caregiver, school officials, health providers and others. CASA volunteers record their case-related activities and submit a Monthly Contact Log to their case supervisor. Prior to each court hearing, the volunteer prepares a court report which includes observations, evaluations, and informed recommendations for the child. The judge and all case professionals read and consider the CASA report in addition to the social worker's in making their decision(s).