The Role of a CASA Volunteer
CASAs advocate for children (ages 0-21 years) who have been victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment and are dependents of the Marin Juvenile Court. CASA volunteers are sworn officers of the court, appointed by a judge to investigate and report on the best interests of children. CASA volunteers establish relationships with their CASA child(ren), getting to know their unique history and making informed recommendations to the courts. CASAs act as fact-finders for the judges, providing them with information that they may never get otherwise.
CASAs gather information from social workers, teachers and school officials, health care providers and other professionals involved in the child’s life. They also speak with the child, parents, relatives, foster parents and other caretakers. CASAs visit with their children regularly. This provides the children with stability and consistency and allows the CASAs to better understand the needs of the children, as well as the children themselves. CASAs use the information they have received, as well as their first-hand observations, to advocate for the child in court and school, and in other aspects of their lives. The CASA’s role is to consider what is in the child’s best interest and to make sure that each child’s individual needs are met.
The goal of the Marin CASA program is to advocate for what is best for each child, to see that every effort is made to reunify families when possible and to encourage families to find and develop resilience and use resources and supports of their own. When reunification is not possible, it is also the goal of the Marin CASA program to ensure that each child is placed in a home which offers the possibility of a permanent, stable and nurturing environment.
Marin CASA is committed to providing equal opportunity for all volunteers and prospective volunteers. No individual will be rejected because of culture, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, race or sexual orientation.
Who are CASA Volunteers
CASAs are ordinary citizens, like you, doing extraordinary work. We have men and women with a variety of professional, educational and ethnic backgrounds. They work full-time, part-time, are retired and are students. CASAs must be 21 years or older to volunteer and all CASAs make a minimum commitment of at least 2 years to the program. On average, CASA volunteers work 8-20 hours per month on their case(s). All volunteers undergo a thorough background and screening process and complete 36 hours of initial training. CASA volunteers work alongside dedicated professionals who are all working to help children and families reunify. Because of the unique nature of this advocacy work and the personal connection to a child, many volunteers find their experience as a CASA the experience of a lifetime.Volunteer Training
We hold two training sessions through out the year for new volunteers. The initial training is a total of 36 hours broken down into 3-hour sessions over the course of several weeks. You will need to attend an volunteer information session, submit an Marin CASA application and complete two screening interviews before being invited into the training.
Information Sessions
Please attend one of our upcoming virtual information sessions to learn more about the program and the screening process. You may click here to view the schedule and to register. Once you register you will receive an information packet by email and a link to join a video conference Q and A session. If you have questions or are uncomfortable using Zoom conferences, please email [email protected] for assistance.
We look forward to meeting you.