CASA Offers Final Training for New Volunteer Advocates to Support Children in Need

The Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA, www.casa4lancaster) for Lancaster County is offering new training for volunteer advocates to support children in need. CASA is looking for caring adult volunteers who are interested in helping provide a voice for children in juvenile court. Volunteers for the nonprofit gather information about the children’s circumstances and write reports to the judge to give them more information and provide recommendations for needed services and next steps. New volunteer training is a 30-hour curriculum presented through a combination of online and in-class learning. In-class sessions run from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays at the CASA office, 1141 H St. in Lincoln. The final new-volunteer training for 2020 begins October 6 and runs weekly through November 10.

CASA recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused, neglected, truant, and ungovernable children who are in juvenile court through no fault of their own. In 2019, 106 community members volunteered as advocates, helping to serve 234 children in Lancaster County. The nonprofit’s 2019 trainings brought 35 new volunteer advocates to the program. CASA volunteers are trained community volunteers who are appointed by a juvenile court judge. They gather information about what they’ve observed, make sure the children’s needs are met while they are in the system, and assist in moving cases forward so that children do not linger needlessly in foster care.

Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children for Lancaster County is a volunteer-driven local organization of caring people who want to make a positive difference in children’s lives. For more information about becoming a volunteer advocate with CASA, visit www.casa4lancaster or contact Dawn Rocky at (402) 474-5161 / drockey@casa4lancaster.org.