Who We Are
Children's Voice: CASA, Inc.'s mission statement: Providing trained volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in Douglas County foster care.
Children's Voice: CASA, Inc.'s vision: To provide a CASA volunteer to every child in foster care in order for them to not only survive, but thrive.
In working to achieve our vision, we act on the following core values:
- Excellence in all our endeavors.
- Inclusion, dignity, and respect for all children, families, volunteers, staff, board members, and supporters.
- Empowering the community through strong screening, training, supervision, and support of volunteers.
- Honorable and respectful involvement in the child welfare system, with the courts, and all parties.
- Independent and educated recommendations, true to our understanding of each child’s best interest, that prioritize children’s safety and, wherever possible, preserve connections to their families.
- Responsible use of resources to maximize our positive impact on the child welfare system.
Our goal is simple: to ensure that every child in foster care has a safe, permanent and loving home as quickly as possible.
At Children's Voice: CASA, Inc., we are also committed to transparency. That is why we have created a Great Nonprofits public profile.
GreatNonprofits.org is a place to find trustworthy nonprofits. Their mission is to inspire and inform donors and volunteers, enable nonprofits to show their impact, and promote greater feedback and transparency.
What We Do
Purpose:
CASA volunteers promote and protect the best interests of children and youth in court dependency proceedings, the child welfare system, and the community.
What You Need to Know:
CASA volunteers are ordinary citizens with extraordinary hearts.
- Volunteers are screened closely for objectivity, competence, and commitment.
- Volunteers are provided with all the necessary training and training materials.
- No special or legal background required.
- Outside speakers as well as staff and volunteers work together to make our training sessions educational, interesting, interactive, and practical.
Minimum Qualifications:
- To be 21 years of age or older
- Successful completion of the 30 hour training program
- Successful completion of 10 hours of court observation
- To undergo local and federal criminal background checks
- To complete an in-person interview with CASA staff
- To commit to the program for the duration of your case
- Complete 12 hours of in-service training each year
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Access to reliable transportation and a computer
- Maintain the desire and heart to advocate for the best interests of children that have experienced abuse or neglect
CASA Volunteer Duties:
- To successfully complete the requirements of the CASA training program and screening process
- To gather information in order to establish the facts and circumstances of the child's situation
- To actively pursue a safe, permanent placement for the child
- To maintain strict confidentiality with all information related to the child and their families
- To visit the child at least once a month
- To ensure the child's best interests don't get overlooked while in foster care
- To provide written reports of findings and recommendations to CASA staff prior to court hearings
- To communicate regularly with CASA staff about the case and the advocacy steps taken to ensure the best interests of the child are represented in court
- To maintain a focus on each case until permanency is achieved, assessing the progress of the case, advocating for a permanent solution and reporting problems or noncompliance to the court
- To maintain genuine care and concern for the best interests of the child
Details
| (770) 577-7228 | |
| lyoung@douglascountyga.gov | |
| Dr. LaFayette Young, Jr. | |
| Chief Executive Officer | |
| https://www.douglascountycasa.org/how-to-help/ |
