Frequently Asked Questions

What function do Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers serve?
CASA volunteers are trained to act as first-hand experts on the individual needs of abused and neglected children in foster care, giving them the best possible chance at a hopeful future.

As an appointed member of the court, a CASA volunteer assumes the following core responsibilities:

Serve as a fact-finder for the judge by thoroughly researching the background of the assigned case
Speak on behalf of the child in the courtroom, representing his or her best interests
Act as a "watchdog" for the child for the duration of the case, ensuring it is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion

How are CASA volunteers assigned to cases?
Judges typically assign CASA volunteers to the most difficult and complex cases involving physical or sexual abuse and neglect. Several other factors are also considered in making this decision:

The instability of the child's current placement
The presence of conflicting case information
Concerns about the implementation of special services, such as medical care, counseling and education assistance

How many children in foster care are appointed a CASA volunteer?
Last year, 70,919 CASA/GAL volunteers advocated for 237,000 children in the foster care system.

What are the qualifications to become a CASA volunteer?

Commitment: The vast majority of cases last one to two years, and the amount of time spent on a case per month typically ranges between 10-20 hours. Volunteers must make case time a priority in order to provide quality advocacy.
Objectivity: Volunteers research case records and speak to everyone involved in a child's life, including their family members, teacher, doctor, lawyer, social worker and others. Their third-party evaluations are based on facts, evidence and testimonies.
Communication skills: Once a volunteer has fully evaluated a case, they prepare a written report outlining their recommendation for the child's placement. They must be able to speak with authority as they present their rationale to the judge in court.

How is CASA funded?
Following is a breakdown on National CASA's funding sources.

The Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) currently provides 82% of National CASA's funding: 58% is used for local CASA program start-up and expansion, which is made available through the passage of grants; and 29% is used for outreach and local program training and technical assistance to state and local programs.
Charitable foundations, private contributions and national conference fees account for the other 18% of National CASA's funding.
Only 12.2% of all revenue supports National CASA general and administrative expenses; 87.8% is dedicated to program services including funding and training.

What is the cost to provide a CASA volunteer to one child for a year?
The median cost per child is $1,040, which covers training, staff support and other costs.