A CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer is a trained community member who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interest of a child or family of children in the court system. Volunteers spend an average of 10-15 hours a month advocating for these children until their case closes, often for several years. They get to know the child while also gathering information from the child's family, teachers, doctors, care-givers and anyone else involved in the child's life.

CASA volunteers are entitled to access information about the child's situation and are required to make independent and informed recommendations to help the judge decide what’s best for the child. The CASA volunteer is an integral piece of the equation in determining the child's long term placement, identifying where a child needs additional resources to thrive, and connecting the child to those resources.

CASA of Central Oregon believes every child who's been abused or neglected deserves to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interest in court, at school, and in our community.  To achieve this goal, we recruit, train, and support Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), community volunteers who advocate on behalf of the best interests of children in foster care.

In 2023, 459 children in Central Oregon spent at least one day in foster care due to alleged abuse or neglect. These children have been removed from everything familiar -- home, family, friends and school -- and find themselves in a world filled with social workers, lawyers, judges and courtrooms where life-altering decisions are made on their behalf.

CASA serves children from birth to twenty-one in foster care. Children do not live with their CASA volunteers.  CASA volunteers do not serve on cases of custody, visitation, or juvenile delinquency unless there is a related abuse or neglect proceeding in Family Court.

In accordance with Oregon statute (ORS 419B.112), CASA is appointed in all dependency proceedings in Central Oregon and becomes a party to every case where the state assumes custody of a child deemed to be in danger. When a CASA is available, they are assigned to a case. The CASA volunteer serves as the eyes and the ears for the judge, advocating for and ensuring that court-ordered services are being provided and that the child’s needs are being met. If a trained volunteer advocate is not available, then the case is monitored by CASA staff.

• Children with CASA volunteers are more likely to end up with family.

• If a child has a CASA, the CASA is often the only person who truly knows the child and knows how the child is really doing.

• National CASA reports that children with CASA volunteers are more likely to receive therapy, health care and education, more likely to do better in school, less likely to be bounced from one place to another, less likely to get stuck in long-term foster care, and significantly more likely to reach safe, permanent homes.

• A CASA volunteer is often the child's only link to maintaining family connections and can be instrumental in identifying family members as temporary or permanent placement options.

• Most importantly, children themselves report that they know and can rely on their CASA volunteers.

When a child is removed from his or her home, and is placed in foster care under the protection of the juvenile justice system, a judge will appoint a trained CASA volunteer in accordance with ORS 419B.112. The CASA speaks for the child in the courtroom, representing the child's best interests and continues to advocate for that child until placed in a safe and permanent home.

CASA volunteers come from every walk of life. They all share a common desire to improve  the lives of children.

Volunteers complete a screening interview, background and reference checks, and 40 hours of training and courtroom observation. After being sworn-in by a judge, volunteers are appointed to a child or family of children and spend an average of 10-15 hours a month advocating for their best interests. Prospective volunteers must be at least 21 years of age.

CASA was created nationally in 1977. It was designed using a model established by a Seattle family court judge who found that the involvement of volunteer advocates brought greater insight and awareness to the courts in determining what is in the child’s best interest. CASA of Deschutes County was established in 1992. In 2005, Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties merged establishing CASA of Central Oregon.

• CASA volunteers are only assigned to one or two cases at a time.

• Our volunteers stay involved on the case from the time of appointment until the child achieves permanency.

• Because of the small number of children a volunteer serves, they have more time to commit to each child.

• CASA volunteers are specially trained to consider issues relevant to the best interests of the child, which may be different than the interests of other parties or the child’s wishes. Traditional attorneys who represent children are required to advocate for their client’s—the child’s—wishes.

• Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) investigates reports of abuse and neglect of children. If the court determines a child is unsafe in the care of his or her parents, ODHS becomes the legal custodian of the child. CASA volunteers serve in the role of an advocate for the child to ensure that ODHS is being responsive to the child's individual needs. CASA provides helpful insight and recommendations that go into the service planning and placement decisions. CASA also has the freedom to advocate in the court for what is best for a child within reasonable means without the constraints of policies and procedures of a state agency.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters matches adult volunteer mentors with children, ages 6-16, who have been voluntarily enrolled in the program by their parents or other adults in their lives. Friends of the Children provides paid, professional mentors, over the course of 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation to high risk youth, who have voluntarily enrolled in the program by their parents or other adults in their lives. CASA volunteers are court-appointed to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, and because of their legal role they have access to the child's otherwise confidential information, including teachers, therapists and doctors. The CASA volunteer will serve as a consistent and trustworthy adult in the child's life, but will go beyond mentoring by making official recommendations to the court in the child's best interest.