CASA Basics & History
What does CASA Stand for?
What is Court Appointed Special Advocate?
This state agency houses and administers the CASA program in Iowa.
What is Iowa Health and Human Services (HHS)?
What is the minimum age in Iowa to become a CASA volunteer?
What is age 19?
This is the total number of hours of instruction required in Iowa's mandatory pre-service training curriculum for CASA volunteers.
What is 30 hours?
This is the ultimate outcome CASA advocacy is meant to help secure for children who have experienced abuse or neglect — described in terms of safety and permanence.
What is a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible?
This Seattle juvenile court judge came up with the idea of using trained volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children after feeling he didn't have enough information to make a good decision for a 3-year-old girl.
Who is Judge David Soukup?
Iowa's CASA program is organized geographically around this court structure, with local programs assigned to specific ones of these across the state.
What are judicial districts?
Before being assigned a case, a prospective volunteer must complete this process, which includes a screening step before training even begins.
What is the application and screening process?
This is the total number of training hours required annually by active CASA volunteers?
What is 12 hours?
Approximately what percentage of cases come before the court because of neglect?
What is around 85 to 90%.
When did the CASA program first start in Iowa?
What is 1986
This is the general term for the local HHS staff person who works directly with CASA volunteers on their assigned cases and is described as an experienced child welfare professional.
What is a Program Coordinator?
In addition to a Program Coordinator, a new CASA volunteer might be paired with one of these.
What is a CASA Coach and/or Peer Pal?
What is a 1:1?
Who is the primary customer of the CASA report?
Who is the judge?
Today, CASA programming operates in this many U.S. states plus the District of Columbia.
What is 49?
This nonprofit partners with the Child Advocacy Board to support recruitment, training, and recognition of CASA volunteers, and accepts tax-deductible donations for that purpose.
What is Friends of Iowa CASA?
Before a CASA Volunteer can serve on a case, the court must first do what?
What is file a signed order appointing the CASA program and CASA volunteer?
When a case closes, the CASA Coordinator will determine if the advocate should participate in this type of meeting.
What is a case closure summary and evaluation meeting?
Name three legal parties in the child's case
Any of the following:
What is child, GAL, County Attorney, Parent, Parent's Attorney, HHS caseworker.
This is the primary duty of a CASA volunteer with respect to the child they're assigned to — not legal representation, but making sure this happens for the child.
What is advocating for the child's best interests?
Iowa's CASA program is affiliated with this national organization, which supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy across the country.
What is the National CASA/GAL Association for Children?
Name three interested parties a CASA volunteer might have contact with during their case assignment
What is...
attorney, GAL, County Attorney, HHS worker or supervisor, in-home providers, mental health providers, doctors, school or day care personnel, relatives, caregivers, foster parents, Juvenile Court Officer, etc
Fostering Futures training is available for advocates serving on cases with youth over what age?
What is ages 14 and over?
What is the document management system used by the court?
What is EDMS?