Requirements include:

• Being at least 21 years old
• Willingness to complete necessary background checks, provide references, and participate in an interview
• Willingness to complete our 30-hour CASA Pre-Service Volunteer Training (please contact staff for more information on our next training session)
• Willingness to complete observation hours in Pulaski, Russell, Wayne, or Rockcastle County Family Court
• Being available for court appearances, for which there will be advance notice
• Willingness to commit to the CASA program and your CASA child for the entirety of their case
• We encourage people from all cultures, professions, ethnicities, and educational backgrounds to apply. Once accepted into the program, you will receive all necessary training in courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system, and the special needs of abused and neglected children.

The goal of the CASA program is to provide expeditious and thorough advocacy to abused and/or neglected children that will lead to permanence. The CASA volunteers serve as the “eyes and ears of the court” by providing a detailed account of each child’s situation to aid the judge in permanency planning decisions.

To achieve this goal, the CASA volunteers perform four (4) basic functions:

Factfinder: Investigate all circumstances surrounding the child’s case. Collect all relevant historical information about the child and gather firsthand, updated information via court order.

Facilitator: Assure that services and supports to which the child is entitled are available to the child via interprofessional coordination with attorneys, social workers, and other providers.

Reporter: Report the findings and make recommendations to the court regarding placement (short and long term), visitation, and services that will serve the child’s best interest.

Monitor: Monitor the case to ensure that necessary services are received, that court orders are followed, and that the best interests of the child are being met.

CASA volunteers are appointed to any case on any Dependency, Neglect, or Abuse (DNA) case in which the Family Court Judge feels (s)he needs an extra set of eyes and ears.

Due to the high demand for CASA volunteers, and the limited number of CASAs currently available, the judges usually appoint CASA to the worst cases of abuse and neglect.

At the end of the CASA Pre-Service Training, trainees answer questions regarding the types of cases on which they prefer working, including case circumstances and number of children.

You receive all necessary instruction in courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system, and the special needs of abused and neglected children.

The 30-hour training is based on the National CASA/GAL Association standards and include the following topics: 

• The CASA Role
• The Well-Being of a Child
• Trauma, Resilience, and Communication Skills
• Mental Health, Poverty, and Professional Communication
• Substance Abuse and Cultural Competence
• Domestic Violence and Cultural Competence
• Educational Advocacy, Older Youth, and LGBTQ Youth

The training is facilitated by CASA staff and is informal and relaxed with an emphasis on open communication and engaging discussion.

Following completion of the training, potential volunteers are sworn in by the Judges and complete Family Court observation in the county in which they will serve prior to being assigned to a case. There is also an annual 12-hour in-service continual training requirement. CASA and our community partners offer many options for meeting this requirement.

No. You are supported in every step of your experience as a CASA volunteer.

Our staff is available to answer questions, assist CASA volunteers in writing court reports, act as sounding boards, provide advice, attend home visits or other meetings with CASA volunteers as needed, and act as liaison between CASA volunteers and other organizations when necessary.

You also have ongoing in-service training opportunities beyond the 30-hours of initial instruction.

No. Our hope is that you will be ready to put your new knowledge and skills to use after you complete training.

However, if you feel you are not yet ready to take a case after the training ends, you are under absolutely no obligation or pressure to do so.

We want our CASA volunteers to be comfortable and confident in their decision before they commit to a child’s case.

CASA policy requires volunteers to see the child in person a minimum of once every thirty (30) days. Volunteers are encouraged to maintain more frequent contact by in person visits or other means (e.g. phone calls, letters, etc.).

Many CASA volunteers choose to see “their” children more often, based on the circumstances of their individual cases or the relationships they develop with the children.

It is important to remember that your personal knowledge of the child and the child’s needs is essential to advocating for your CASA child’s best interest.

As a child’s CASA you will receive appointment orders from the Court that allow you to access any and all people of relevance to the child’s case.

The CASA volunteer’s role is to connect the child with targeted services that best meet his or her individual needs. Depending on the circumstances of the case, a CASA might speak with natural parents, Cabinet for Health and Family Services workers, neighbors, foster parents, relatives, teachers, and therapists.

CASA children frequently change foster homes, schools, therapists, Cabinet workers, and other service providers. The CASA volunteer is the one stable adult presence in these children’s lives. CASA asks that a volunteer commit to remain with a child until his or her case is closed. The average CASA case lasts about 18 months, though the length of time varies based on each child’s unique circumstances.

Our CASA Staff serve as “advocates for the advocates,” always ready to support CASA volunteers. They answer questions, assist with writing court reports, act as sounding boards, provide guidance, attend home visits or other meetings alongside volunteers when needed, and serve as liaisons between CASA volunteers and partner organizations.  

It is natural that you will become emotionally involved to some degree.

Part of CASA staff’s role involves helping you maintain perspective. CASA training, plus the organization’s policies and procedures, also assist volunteers in setting emotional and professional boundaries. For instance, CASA volunteers do not transport or supervise children and gift-giving is limited to small items.

For more information, please contact our staff anytime at:

606-425-5000 (please leave a voicemail if no one answers)

Mailing: PO Box 1363, Somerset, KY 42502

Office: 100 N. Main Street, Somerset, KY 42501