What Does It Take To Be a CASA?
Commitment to children, common sense and persistence, objectivity, responsibility, communication skills, the ability to talk to a variety of people, some of whom will be struggling with their own problems and about 15 - 20 hours a month. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life, with a variety of professionals, educational and ethnic backgrounds. Social work or legal background is not required.
CASA volunteers are screened to ensure the safety of the children. They receive over 30 hours of training on Michigan law, the child protection system, the dynamics of abuse and neglect, child development and the juvenile justice system. After the training and approval process the CASA candidates go through a Swearing-In Ceremony (click here to see a Swearing-In Ceremony pictures) .
CASAs are required to attend 12 hours of in-service training every year. We give credit for monthly meetings and mandatory meetings and make our volunteers aware of training opportunities that are free or inexpensive. Here in Saginaw County we are fortunate that Judge Harrison has started a series of lunch-time information sessions for the contracted attorneys for Family Court and she has invited the CASAs. Many CASA volunteers have attended these sessions. The topics have covered such subjects as guardianships, funding for foster care, and concurrent planning. These sessions are extremely helpful in keeping CASAs informed about current issues that may affect their assignments.
Another way that the program assists CASAs in acquiring their training hours is a series of mandatory meetings spaced through the year for which the volunteers receive training credit. Mandatory meetings typically include a guest speaker as well as time for questions, discussion, and case-sharing. Recent speakers have included Judge Harrison, Pat Wagner from Michigan CASA, Roland Smith from Wayne County CASA, Kent Greenfelder, local attorney and Toni Prebucki from DHS.
For additional information on becoming a CASA in Saginaw County, call Randy or Gloria at (989) 752-7226.