What it means to be a CASA volunteer

When a child is removed from their home for their own safety, it is a chaotic and confusing time in their life. Between new foster parents, lawyers, Child Protective Service agents, judges, the child needs one constant face, a confidante, when they feel like they have no control.  This volunteer is called a Court Appointed Special Advocate®, or CASA.

CASAs are community volunteers who are screened and highly trained and then appointed by judges to represent and advocate for a child’s best interests in the child protection system. Each CASA volunteer is assigned to help one child or set of siblings at a time, so they can focus on giving that child or sibling group the individualized advocacy and attention they need. The ultimate goal of Big Country CASA is to help children find safe, permanent homes as soon as possible.

Big Country CASA endeavors to provide valuable volunteer advocacy for every abused child in Taylor County. CASA volunteers serve as the “eyes and ears” for the judge in child welfare cases. This includes researching each child’s situation and making objective recommendations to help them reclaim their childhoods from abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers are frequently the only stable presence in these children’s lives as they navigate the foster care system. This allows them to bring a unique perspective to the court case, and their sole objective is representing the best interests of the child.