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CASA FAQ

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CASA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA volunteers are everyday citizen volunteers appointed by a Judge to speak up for abused and neglected children to ensure they have a safe and permanent home.

The CASA volunteer that is appointed in some dependency cases:

Is a professionally trained volunteer

CASAs are volunteers from the community. Each CASA volunteer is interviewed, fingerprinted, trained, and certified before they are appointed to a case by the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court.

Is appointed by the Judge to be the “eyes and ears” of the Court

A CASA is a voice for the child person making recommendations to the court about what he or she thinks is in the child’s best interests. The Judge does not have to do what the CASA recommends, but the Judge will take the recommendations very seriously.

Makes recommendations to the Court about the best interests of the child

After the CASA has gathered information about the case, they review the facts and develop their conclusions. Then the CASA will prepare a report for the Court that states the updates and facts gathered. They can share concerns, suggestions and recommendations to the court that will help support the children and their families to be successful.

Forms a relationship with the child, but also gets to know the parents, placement, family, teachers, and many others who know the child

The CASA's goal in their role is to develop a relationship with the children, built on being present in their lives, having consistent contact and creating trust. This relationship is intended to support the children while the family is involved with the Court helping to ensure the child's needs are being met.

Attends meetings, hearings, and works with other professionals on the case team. 

The CASA attends all meetings relating to the case. This includes attending FCRB hearings and monthly Department of Child Safety DCS case meetings. The CASA will attend court hearings that relate to their appointed case. The CASA is encouraged to have contact with all other parties involved in the case.

Prior to becoming a CASA you will receive 30 hours of training. The materials and resources provided are intended to enrich you so you can become an effective child advocate. During training, advocates are educated about child welfare issues from experts in the field including child maltreatment, permanency planning, case assessment, court report writing, and court policies. All active CASA volunteers are required a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education each year.

No specific educational background, profession, or experience is required. CASA volunteers are dedicated individuals of high moral character who have a strong desire to advocate for abused and neglected children. Interested individuals must complete an application, provide references, be interviewed, be fingerprinted, and take a polygraph exam (all at no cost to the applicant).

Each case is unique. More time is spent in the beginning, researching files, reviewing court documents, and getting to know the child. CASA volunteers schedule their own time, with the exception of required attendance at court hearings and team meetings. Once familiar with the case and the parties involved, a CASA spends an average of 15-20 hours a month working on the case. Many CASA volunteers balance full-time or part-time employment with their CASA duties.

The advocate continues with the case until it is permanently resolved. We ask that advocates commit to volunteering for at least a two-year period. Often children are moved from one foster care home to another. That means there can be a frequent change of case specialist, judges, and hearing officers. One of the primary benefits of a CASA is to be the one consistent person in the child’s life.

Yes, Once appointed, the CASA volunteer becomes part of the judicial proceedings and works alongside attorneys and case managers as an appointed officer of the court. Unlike attorneys and social workers, however, the CASA speaks exclusively for the child's best interest.

In Arizona, the CASA program receives 30 percent of unclaimed state lottery prize money pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 5-568 and 8-524. Funds are appropriated annually by the Arizona State Legislature. The Arizona Supreme Court's CASA of Arizona Office administers fifteen county CASA programs which are supervised and operated locally by Arizona's county-specific based Superior Court.

Due to a shortage of CASA volunteers, there are thousands of children in foster care who are still waiting for a CASA volunteer. The Court or any person or agency having knowledge of the facts of a dependency case can contact the local CASA program to request an advocate. Appointment is made by the local County CASA program.

Stephanie Chavez

Supervisor

CASA of Pima County

(520) 724-2069

For more information about becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate
call CASA of Pima County at
(520) 724-2060 or email 
[email protected]

QUICK LINKS
Apply to be a CASA
CASA of Pima County
State CASA
National CASA
CASA Facebook Page