Every year, in Lackawanna County, two to three hundred children are involved in the child welfare system due to abuse or neglect. Some are home with relatives and friends who need a lot of support to keep them safe and ensure their needs are met. This is where CASA steps in. The mission of Lackawanna County CASA is to advocate for abused and neglected children, give them hope, support, and encoura
gement, enhance their resiliency, and ensure that their voices are heard as the juvenile system seeks safe, permanent, and nurturing homes.
• CASA volunteers receive 30 hours of training from professionals in the legal and welfare fields and must have an additional 4-5 hours of court observation.
• Once assigned to a case, the CASA volunteer reviews court, school, medical and caseworker records.
• The CASA volunteer talks with everyone involved, including parents, foster parents, social workers, school officials, health providers, and most importantly, the child.
• The CASA then provides the judge with a factual, written report to help the court make a well-informed, timely decision about that child's future.
• CASA volunteers support just one or two children, while a child welfare worker may have a caseload of a dozen children and families to monitor. Kids who have a CASA volunteer are more likely to find permanency – when the court follows CASA recommendations, kids are significantly less likely to reenter the child welfare system. The good news is – almost anyone can be a CASA volunteer. Our CASA volunteers include business owners, nurses, painters, printers, professors, graduate students, retirees, and full-time parents. Our volunteers tell us that it’s one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences they have ever had – and our CASA kids tell us how much they appreciate having someone by their side through the most challenging times of their life. You can help CASA to change a child’s story!