CASA starts meetings for volunteers

By LSchutte

Submitted to semissourian.com

Court Appointed Special Advocates will be holding informational meetings twice a month for prospective CASA volunteers. A CASA volunteer has to complete 30 hours of special training and background screenings before they are sworn in as a volunteer child advocate.

The mission for CASA of Southeast Missouri is to provide well-trained court appointed volunteers to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children under jurisdiction of the 32nd Judicial Circuit Juvenile Court.

Through the four key aspects of CASA advocacy: investigation, mediation, reporting and monitoring, the CASA volunteer ensures that the children's immediate and long-term needs are being met while in foster care and work to secure a healthy permanent placement for these children.

The purpose of this type of meeting is to provide an opportunity to learn more about the CASA program in a very informal setting. The information will provide a brief overview of the CASA program and the responsibilities of a CASA volunteer. The meetings will be held at noon Tuesday and 5:30 p.m. Thursday the last week of each month from July to October.

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