Posted by Ellen Thurman - Program Coordinator/*VISTA Volunteer on April 11, 2006
Putnam County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a volunteer driven program. Volunteers are trained members of the community wanting to make a difference in the life of an abused or neglected child. Once trained, the volunteers become child advocates appointed by the juvenile court judge. Advocates are mandated to always keep the child’s best interests in the forefront. They have a great impact on the emotional and physical well being of the child. Volunteers are diverse as the children in which they serve. There is no special educational background required. A volunteer needs only to be 21 years of age and have to ability to pass a criminal background check. CASAs assist the court by offering an independent perspective about the child’s current situation. They monitor the emotional health of a child and make sure the system does what is in the child’s best interest. Advocates investigate and give written reports to the courts. During the life of a case, a CASA volunteer monitors the child’s situation to make sure the child remains safe. CASA volunteers may be the only constant person the child knows as they move through the labyrinth of the child welfare system. Having this constant presence can take some of the scariness and uncertainty out of the process. The legal system can sometimes be intimidating and scary even to the most seasoned professionals, let alone a small child who has been victimized by those closest to them. A CASA volunteer will advocate for the child the entire time they are involved with the state. The children’s cases range from those who have been neglected to babies exposed to drugs. Regardless of why they entered the foster care system, they all have one thing in common: they are in need of an advocate. The Advocate is a special person who looks out for just them.
