Capital Area CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is kicking off 2022 with a 14-day Race, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge as part of CASA’s continued commitment to being a culturally competent and aware organization. Each day of the challenge, participants (volunteers and staff) will be asked to complete a brief activity such as watch a short video or read an article about issues central to race, equity and inclusion.
The equity challenge was originally developed by Dr. Eddie Moore, racial justice educator, and co-developed with Debby Irving, racial justice educator and writer, and Dr. Maguerite Penick, professor of leadership, literacy, and social foundations , in 2014. The challenge has been adopted by a multitude of organizations, associations, and corporations all over the world. The challenge was created to help people better understand issues surrounding equity, inclusion, and privilege, and for them to incorporate what they learned into their lives every day even after the challenge is over.
Capital Area CASA is a non-profit that recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers to act as a voice for abused and neglected children who are currently in foster care. To learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer or to sign up for a virtual information session, click here!
Volunteering makes the perfect New Year’s Resolution because volunteerism provides countless benefits for community, and the health and happiness of people who commit to sharing themselves as a volunteer.
Here are just a few reasons to sign up to volunteer today:
1. Volunteering has been linked with increased levels of happiness and decreased depression. Research has shown that volunteering leads to lower rates of depression through increased social interactions.
2. People who volunteer report physical, mental, and emotional health benefits. Volunteering not only benefits your physical and mental health by lowering blood pressure, reducing stress levels, and increasing endorphins released by the brain, but it can also boost your social health. Ultimately, the combination of physical, mental, and social benefits that you gain from volunteering have a lasting impact on your well-being.
3. Volunteers help create and support healthy communities. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to be a voice for abused or neglected children in court and in the community. As a CASA volunteer you help ensure that children are placed in safe, loving homes where they can thrive.
4. Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers help make a difference in the lives of abused or neglected children. To learn more about becoming a CASA, click here !
Make volunteering a reality this year! Start your year off by taking the first step and attending CASA’s 30-minute virtual orientation. Click here to sign up now!
Help Capital Area CASA support and serve the most vulnerable children in East Baton Rouge Parish this holiday season!
White the holidays are a time to have fun and make memories with family and friends, for many it can be a very stressful and hard time of year. CASA children have experienced abuse and neglect and have been removed from their homes. They are in a difference environment than what they are used to, and it is always traumatic and stressful to the children but even more so during the holiday season.
This is why CASA volunteers are so important!
A CASA volunteer can be a reliable and consistent adult presence in the life of their CASA child that they may not otherwise have. A child with a CASA volunteer has the support they need to navigate through an uncertain time in their life and the loneliness that the holidays can bring.
To get involved please click hereto sign up for one of our 30-minute virtual volunteer orientation sessions or click herefor more information on what CASA volunteers do!
The focus of National Adoption Month is primarily to raise awareness about the thousands of children currently in foster care who are waiting for permanent families, but it also honors all forms of adoption and those who have experienced it.
Over 122,000 children and youth across the country are in foster care waiting for a forever family. For teenagers at risk of aging out of foster care, it is just as important to secure a permanent sense of belonging.
Our mission at CASA is to advocate for timely placement of children in permanent, safe, and stable homes. In order for us to do this we must have CASA volunteers! CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate and CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge to serve as a child’s voice in court.
Foster kids with a CASA are more likely to be adopted and find their forever families. If you are interested in helping a foster child in East Baton Rouge Parish find their forever family, take first step and sign up for a 30 minute virtual orientation here!
Capital Area CASA Association has over one hundred volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in East Baton Rouge Parish. They have devoted their time, and love to help make sure these children have a voice during one of the most difficult times of their lives.
Our main goal at CASA is to provide a volunteer for every child who needs a voice in our community, but we cannot do that without community volunteers. Being a CASA volunteer allows you to make a true impact on your community and the next generation coming up. Not only are you giving these children a voice, but you are removing them from a vicious cycle and putting a smile back on their face.
Here are five ways a CASA volunteer makes a big impact on the children they serve.
- Children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to be adopted and find their forever family. Because the CASA volunteers are being the eyes and ears for the judge, they are able to relay honest reports on the environments these children are living in.
- The children are half as likely to re-enter foster care if they have a CASA volunteer. Again, the CASA volunteer is assisting the judges with facts that will help him/her make the best decision for this child when it comes to their home.
- A child with a CASA volunteer is less likely to spend time in long-term foster care. Children without CASA involvement spend an average of over eight months longer in care than those who have a CASA volunteer present.
- With CASA involved in an abused child’s case, they are more likely to have a plan for permanency. When there is a plan there is something to work towards. And with the CASA volunteer, the child has someone that is monitoring that the plan is followed and being worked by all parties. Again because this is in the best interest of the child.
- Children with CASA volunteers get more help while in the system. More services are ordered for the child because the CASA volunteer is observing the situation and sees what is needed for a positive outcome for the child. With their CASA volunteer being committed to at least a year on a case, the child will more likely have a consistent, responsible adult presence in their life.
These are just a few impacts CASA volunteers have on the lives of these children. To learn more about how you can become a CASA volunteer click HERE.
The storm has passed, but the need for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteers is more urgent than ever. CASA children have already been traumatized by abuse and neglect and now face increased anxiety because of Hurricane Ida. We understand that not everyone can become a volunteer due to the challenges of Hurricane Ida, or COVID, but if you are able to volunteer and are in search of a meaningful opportunity, this could be the one for you!
The first step to becoming a CASA volunteer is to attend a 30-minute virtual information session. In this session, you will find out more about CASA, what CASA volunteers do, and you can ask any questions you may have. CASA is accepting people into its next in-person volunteer training class and virtual classes will continue. To register for an orientation click here and sign up today!
CASA volunteers become the voice of a child put in foster care, or a group home, because they were removed from their home due to abuse or neglect. Our superheroes (volunteers) are everyday people who advocate for the best interest of these children and work to find them permanent, safe, and stable homes.
It may not sound like a lot, but a CASA volunteer can make a big difference in a child’s life. There is so much a CASA volunteer does that is important for each of their case.
The role of a CASA volunteer includes:
Becoming familiar with the child and his or her history. Once a CASA volunteer is assigned a case, the first thing they do is research and become familiar with the case. The volunteer will have an opportunity to review the child’s case file and talk with the advocate supervisor to learn about everything there is to know before actually meeting the child and their family. Reviewing the case folder is the first step.
Spend time with the child regularly. CASA volunteers are asked to visit their CASA child at least once a month. The more the better. Children will begin to talk and open up to their CASA volunteer the more they get to know them and learn exactly what that volunteer’s role is within their case. It also creates a stable face they will know, and they begin to trust that this person really has their best interest at heart.
Gather information from others involved in the child’s life. Getting to know everyone involved in the CASA child’s life is very important to understanding the full story. As a CASA volunteer you will talk with all the important people in the child’s life such as the teacher, therapist, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, caseworkers, foster parents, doctors, or anyone else close to the child. This will help you get all the facts and learn about the child’s life.
The eyes and ears for the judge by submitting court reports prior to hearings and monthly reports to CASA staff. A very important task for a CASA volunteer is preparing their court reports for the judges. These reports help the judge know everything going on outside the courtroom with the child. You are the eyes and ears for the court and your reports can help the judge to determine where the best place for a child is.
CASA volunteers are never alone in the process because they are paired with a CASA staff member called an advocate supervisor who is with them every step of the way. CASA advocate supervisors serve as a source of knowledge and support for all CASA volunteers.
If you are interested in becoming an advocate for abused and neglected children in East Baton Rouge Parish and would like to learn more, please sign up for one of our 30-minute virtual volunteer orientation sessions here.
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate and Capital Area CASA Association recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers to become CASA volunteer.
As children are preparing to head back to school this month, CASA can’t help but think about the children whose summer wasn't so bright. They may have been removed from their home because of abuse or neglect and had to adjust to an unfamiliar place away from their family. These children aren't thinking about their new school supplies and outfits (many won't have any) or about the friends they are going to make this school year. The children who spent the summer in the foster care system are worried about whether their mother is going to make her next visit with them. Imagine being a child and worrying if someone is going to move you from one home to the next in a few days.
When going through this difficult time, children living in foster care who have a CASA volunteer are more likely to succeed in school and adjust to change. And they're half as likely to re-enter the foster care system later. CASA volunteers are advocates who get to know their CASA child’s situation and speak up for their best interests.
CASA is currently seeking volunteers to provide a voice for these children.
CASA volunteers go through a 32-hour training course to prepare them for success. The next training starts on September 14. There are multiple ways you can help CASA provide an advocate for every child who needs one in foster care.
1. Attend an upcoming orientation to learn how you can play a role as a voice for an abused child living in foster care. Click here for upcoming dates.
2. Share CASA’s mission with your family, friends, and co-workers. Invite a CASA representative to your next organization meeting, or to come to speak at a staff meeting. Email stranchina@casabr.org to set up a date.
3. Head over to the Capital Area CASA’s Facebook , Instagram , Twitter or LinkedIn pages and like/follow. Then share an upcoming event or post on your social media page. Word of mouth is our best recruitment tool.
4. Or donate to help us make a difference for abused children. Donated funds are used to recruit, screen, train, supervise and support CASA volunteers. Click here to donate.
Help change a child’s story by becoming a CASA volunteertoday. The impact you can make in a child’s life is priceless.
Capital Area CASA is thrilled to announce the first in-person volunteer training of 2021!
Abused children in East Baton Rouge Parish are waiting for an advocate to speak up for them now. Capital Area CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Association needs community volunteers to become advocates for these children. Caring adults – especially male and African American individuals – are needed to speak up for abused and neglected children and youth living in foster care.
CASA volunteers advocate for these children to help them reach safe, permanent homes. CASA volunteers do not provide legal representation, nor do they replace social workers. A CASA volunteer is an independent voice speaking solely for the best interests of the child.
The first in-person volunteer training session of 2021 for Capital Area CASA Association will begin on Tuesday, July 13 at the CASA office located in downtown Baton Rouge. CDC guidelines will be followed so there will be limited spaces available. The next in-person class will begin on September 14 and virtual classes will continue.
No special background is required to become a CASA volunteer. The first step is to attend a 30-minute virtual orientation session. Click here to view the upcoming orientation dates and click here to sign up now!
