CASA for Lancaster County (casa4lancaster.org/advocate-for-children) is seeking volunteers. A training session for new volunteers is set to begin on October 15. This is a six-week training course and will be held on Tuesday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. All training sessions will be held at CASA for Lancaster County, 1141 H Street, STE C, on the third floor.
CASA volunteers are trained community advocates who are assigned to abused/ neglected children who are in Juvenile Court through no fault of their own. CASA volunteers have a court order that gives them access to the child and to all their records, so the CASA volunteer can gather information and determine the needs of the child. This is done by interviewing all interested and concerned parties to determine the facts and reviewing all records and documents.
CASA volunteers get to know the child, and they communicate the child’s needs and wishes to the judge. CASA volunteers are required to attend approximately 30 hours of pre-service training, 12 hours of in-service (continuing education) annually and are supervised by a CASA staff person.
In 2023, CASA served 316 children, trained 32 new volunteers and had 123 volunteers assigned to children. For those interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer or about CASA for Lancaster County, visit casa4lancaster.org/advocate-for-children.