Volunteer Opportunity- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Nashville

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Who are CASA Volunteer Advocates?

CASA Volunteer Advocates are ordinary people, just like you, with extraordinary desire to help a child find a safe and permanent place to call home.

CASA Volunteer Advocates want to make certain the voices of abused and neglected children are heard in an over-burdened child welfare system.

What does a CASA Volunteer Advocate do?

CASA Volunteer Advocates get to know the child and gather information from everyone involved in the child’s life, including family members, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and social workers. They use the information they gather to report to the court and to advocate for the child’s needs in the foster care system. CASA volunteer advocates commit to represent and advocate for a child’s best interests until the child finds a safe, permanent home.

Cares

CASA Volunteers care deeply for children. They get involved, stay involved until the child is in a safe, permanent home, and get to know the child and the family in a way that no one else can. CASA Volunteer Advocates are often the only familiar face for a child in foster care, and are the only ones with the child’s whole story.

Monitors

As a case progresses, CASA Volunteer Advocates monitor how the child is developing, how the services provided to the child and family are progressing, and ensures that others in the Child Welfare System do what they say they will do. They monitor progress and look for strengths within the family to build upon so that children can be reunited with their parents whenever possible.

Facilitates

There are often many adults involved with a child once they enter the foster care system. CASA Volunteer Advocates facilitate communication between all these adults and helps them remember to keep the child at the heart of everything they do. They facilitate the delivery of services by finding resources, making connections, and assisting DCS and other providers in delivering the right services in a timely manner.

Gathers Information

CASA Volunteer Advocates are appointed to a child’s case by the Juvenile Court Judges and Magistrates. They are charged by the court to gather all relevant information to help inform the Court’s decisions about the child’s best interests. They gather facts from parents, grandparents, teachers, medical professionals, friends and extended family, and anyone else who may have information that will help them make recommendations to the Court about what the child needs to thrive in a safe, permanent home. CASA Volunteer Advocates are assigned to one case at a time so are often the holders of the child’s whole story.

Advocates

Above all, CASA Volunteers advocate for the best interests of the child. They are charged by the court to make recommendations on the child’s best interest. They appear at hearings related to the child and advocate in court through written reports and testimony. They are the child’s voice. Outside of court proceedings, CASA Volunteer Advocates also work to ensure a child has everything they need to heal from the trauma they have experienced, and to build resiliency skills that will be useful throughout their lives.

🗓 Training Schedule

CASA's required training includes 8 in-person sessions held biweekly in the evenings from 5-9pm.

⏳ Time Commitment

• Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of one year once assigned to a case.
• Ideally, advocates stay on a case until a child achieves permanency (returning home, adoption, or aging out). On average, this takes about 2.5 years.

💼 Tasks: What the Role Involves

• Visit your assigned child(ren) at least once per month in their placement(s). You may be asked about your willingness to work with sibling groups.
• Touch base with your CASA “Team Leader” (supervisor) at least once a month to discuss your case.
• Attend court hearings during the day, approximately 4 times per year. Advance notice is typically given.
• Participate in online team meetings for the child’s support network, a few times annually.
• Write 2–3 page court reports, typically twice per year.

✅ Next Steps

Again, if your availability has changed in reference to the above dates, please let me know at your earliest convenience. Otherwise:

• Please feel free to call Sara Glascock, Director of Advocacy, at (629) 277-4404 with questions.
• Click here to apply!