Once children and youth are taken into DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) custody, their cases are overseen by judges in the juvenile courts who appoint CASA volunteers to focus on the child and provide recommendations to improve a child’s experience while in foster care, as well as the child’s overall well-being.

The CASA program provides a unique and valuable service built on each CASA volunteer giving individualized attention to one child. However, sometimes a CASA volunteer may work with group of siblings, or be recommended by their supervisor to take on another case.

Social workers are employed by the state and often assigned many cases at a time. The social worker is responsible for helping an entire family, which includes setting up individual services for family members. A CASA volunteer is the advocate for the child, is not paid, works with only a few cases at a time, and does not set up services. The CASA volunteer does not replace the social worker on a case; he or she is an independent officer of the court and works within the child welfare system to improve children’s experiences while in foster care.

A CASA volunteer does not provide legal representation for a child in the courtroom; he or she does not replace an attorney. Both CASA volunteers and attorneys have a duty to investigate firsthand the child’s circumstances and make best interests recommendations to the court, but there are significant differences. CASA volunteers are legally prohibited from giving children legal advice – even if they are attorneys. Unlike attorneys, CASA volunteers submit written reports to the court, can give testimony, and work at the discretion of the judge. An attorney has many clients. Because of their one-on-one relationships, CASA volunteers have more time to devote to their children, getting to know them and their circumstances.

CASA volunteers are only appointed to children who have come to the attention of the juvenile court system due to abuse or neglect. Like a mentoring program, the CASA volunteer does develop a relationship with the child through frequent contact; however, the primary role of the CASA volunteer is to gather information about the child, write reports to the court, and attend court hearings. The CASA program is not a mentoring program.