Casa

Voices for Children/CASA is a nonprofit organization devoted to the recruitment, training, and support of community volunteers who advocate for the rights of child victims of abuse and neglect in the 32nd Judicial Circuit of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, and Perry Counties of Missouri in the attempt to facilitate the safe, secure, permanent placement of the child as quickly as possible. What is a CASA volunteer? A CASA volunteer is a caring community volunteer who had undergone the thirty-hour CASA training and been sworn in by a family court judge to advocate for the rights of child victims of abuse and neglect in court. How can a CASA volunteer serve as an effective advocate? To be effective advocates CASA volunteers demonstrate and maintain interest in and commitment to the welfare of the children in their cases. Advocates must be objective and non-judgmental as they work cooperatively with the professionals and principals in their cases. They need to be willing to listen to and respect the opinions of others, while also being willing to convey their own thoughts and information to the team. How is this done? The CASA volunteers goal is to guide child victims of abuse and neglect out of foster care as soon as possible and to help them to find safe, secure, permanent homes. The volunteer focuses on four tasks as they work to determine the best interest of the child, and to find a safe, secure, permanent placement for the child. These tasks are to: Investigate: The volunteer meets and gets to know the principals in their case. They learn what the child wants, what the parents stated goals are relative to reunification with their child, what they are willing to do to achieve those goals, and what is in the best interest of the child. Facilitate: The volunteers responsibility is to understand and track the receipt of services which have been mandated by the Court. Services range from psychological treatment, parenting classes, educational assistance for the child, as