CASA Kids: Court Appointed Special Advocates

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Volunteers are needed to advocate for abused and neglected children in Lucas County.

• CASA volunteers are everyday citizens who are trained to investigate and monitor child abuse and neglect cases. CASA volunteers work for the juvenile court judges and are sworn officers of the court.

• CASA volunteers must be 21 years of age and able to use a computer but no particular work or education is required as free training is provided. The 40 hour training includes presentations from various experts, interactive exercises, role plays, a mock hearing, a tour of Juvenile Court and Lucas County Children Services. New CASA/GAL trainees rave about the quality of the training and consistently rate it as “excellent” in their evaluations.

• CASA volunteers remain advocates for the child victims they serve until case closure, helping to ensure the child’s safety and keeping the child welfare and juvenile justice systems alert to the child’s needs.

Mission Statement:

“The mission of the Lucas County Court Appointed Special Advocate department is to serve the best interests of abused and neglected children in the juvenile court system. The CASA department provides quality volunteer advocacy for children to ensure each child has a safe, permanent, nurturing home.”

Contact:

Melody Piller

 Recruitment and Retention Coordinator

419-213-6716

mpille@co.lucas.oh.us

For more information visit www.casakids.net