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Become a Child's Voice in Court The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Programs of EAC give people in the Long Island community a unique opportunity to help children who have no one to speak for them. CASA volunteers are trained by EAC to monitor children who may be in foster care or who may be the victims of abuse or neglect. Case assignments are made based on referrals by a Family Court judge, who will request CASA's help in reviewing and monitoring the progress of individual children who are part of the child welfare system. The CASA volunteer's investigation culminates in a report summarizing their findings to the Family Court so that the judge can make informed decisions about the child's future. The volunteer position takes three to five hours per week and the hours are flexible. A large part of the 30 hours of training involves an overview of the child welfare system and Family Court laws and procedures. In addition, volunteers will learn techniques in interviewing children and report writing. CASA advocates make periodic visits to the children assigned to them. In addition, volunteer advocates interview all the people who are involved in a child's life such as foster parents, therapists, caseworkers and law guardians. Since CASA is independent of state and county agency restrictions, an advocate is free to speak up for the child's best interests when attending court hearings. The best part of being a CASA is getting to know a child and developing a network of strength and support for that child so that he or she can have the hope to flourish and succeed. |
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