Become a Volunteer
Statewide, more than 1,850 CASA volunteers work with more than 2,870 children living in foster care. In Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties, CASA volunteers served 203 children from our local community this past year, 1/3 of whom have since found their "forever families." These volunteers donated more than 8,000 advocacy hours to children in need. Even with the generosity with their time, the need for volunteers is great. If you can spare several hours a month, over the course of 1 to 2 years, you could be a CASA volunteer.
Local CASA programs throughout New Jersey assist both the Family Court and the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) in protecting the best interests of New Jersey's abused and neglected children. Local CASA programs recruit, screen, train, and supervise community volunteers who are appointed by a Family Court Judge to advocate on behalf of individual children in out-of-home placement.
Some of the Things a CASA Will Do:
- Locate relatives who may be interested in building a relationship with the child
- Gather information about the child's functioning, needs, and situation
- Attend Court, Child Placement Review Board, mediation, and other hearings
- Communicate findings and make recommendations to DCP&P, Family Court Judge, and child's Law Guardians
- Attend Case Planning, ISP, IEP and annual Review Meetings
- Act as a sounding board for birth and foster parents
- Visit the child or children monthly
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Speak with everyone involved in child's life
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Support foster parents with information and resources for special needs children
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Research community resources that would benefit the child and family
Interested in Learning More?
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