Change a child's story, change a child's life.
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
Join Us!
Our volunteers come from all backgrounds and professions, you don't need any special skills other than a love and passion for children, the desire to learn how to advocate and time to devote to our children and their advocacy.
Potential volunteers undergo 30+ hours of training to become certified as an advocate. Training includes classroom work as well as guest speakers to supplement the National CASA curriculum. Topics covered include child abuse/neglect definitions and laws, mandated reporting, substance abuse, communication & collaboration, court report writing, mental health, domestic violence, and much more. Volunteers also complete court room observations.
Once training has been successfully completed and all background checks have been passed, volunteers are sworn in by the Probate Judge and assigned a case.
The CASA will have a court order, signed by the judge, allowing them to speak with anyone involved with the child including family members, foster parents, social workers, school staff, day care providers, attorneys, counselors, and medical staff.
The CASA does not provide direct services (transportation, visit supervision etc.) but can provide community resources to the family and observe parent visits. The CASA collaborates with service providers and writes a detailed court report advocating for the best interests of the child. The CASA serves as the eyes and ears of the judge.
Requirements
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
To become a CASA you:
· Must be 21 or older
· Must successfully pass multiple background checks.
· Must have reliable transportation and be dependable.
· Must be able to commit to visiting with your assigned child every 7-10 days until the case closes.
· Must successfully complete new volunteer training.
. Must be able to meet deadlines without issue.
. Cannot be a party to an open child abuse/neglect case.
Application
How to Become a CASA Volunteer
Application
Want to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate? The first step is to apply!
Follow the link to access our on-line application.
https://mi-hillsdale.evintosolutions.com/VolunteerApplication