Frequently Asked Questions

CASA of Northwest Arkansas provides volunteer advocates to children who have been removed from homes in Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties.

If you haven’t heard of the CASA program, it’s because judges, caseworkers, attorneys, CASA volunteers, and CASA staff are required to maintain absolute confidentiality about the children they serve. In order to protect our children, therefore, the agency must work in relative anonymity.

CASA volunteers are assigned to children in the foster care system or to those at risk of entering foster care as a result of abuse, neglect, and/or the parent’s/guardian’s inability to care for the child.

Only a judge can assign a CASA volunteer to a case. On occasion, the children’s or parent’s attorneys, the caseworkers’ attorney, or the child’s foster parents, may request that the judge assign a CASA.

CASA volunteers may be assigned to children ranging in age from newborn through age 20.

The Department of Human Services is the agency that provides protection to Arkansan children in need. Caseworkers provide services intended to strengthen family life and enable children to remain safe in their own homes or to reunite them with their parents if they are already in foster care. A CASA volunteer does not replace a caseworker on the case but is an independent appointee of the court who monitors both the actions of the family and the case plan activity, with only the best interests of the child in mind.

In Arkansas, children involved in dependency proceedings are appointed their own attorney called an Attorney Ad Litem. The Attorney Ad Litem is the child’s legal representation.

A CASA volunteer, on the other hand, serves as the eyes and ears of the court. The advocate gathers information, monitors a child’s case plan, and reports back to the Attorney Ad Litem, the DHS, and the judge. The judge then uses the CASA findings to make better-informed decisions regarding a child’s future.

Judges have noted the value of the information that a CASA volunteer brings to the proceedings and are appreciative of the unique perspective presented by CASA volunteers. In addition, national studies show that a child who has been assigned a CASA volunteer is more likely to secure needed services in a timely manner; is moved from placement to placement less frequently; is more likely to have his/her case reviewed regularly by the court; and has a better chance of living in a safe, permanent home than those who do not have CASA representation.

To be accepted into volunteer training, prospective volunteers must complete an in-person interview with CASA staff. They must also pass thorough background screening and reference checks.

Volunteer training consists of six weeks of online training sessions along with online work.

A 3-hour court observation (currently via Zoom) is also required prior to obtaining your volunteer certification.

No one specific type of background is required. All CASAs must have the time to devote to the case; the ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; and must complete approximately 30 hours of classroom training and courtroom observation.

Most CASAs work full or part-time, some are retired, and some do not work outside the home. Daytime availability and flexibility are essential. Some of the work a CASA does will be gathering information from caseworkers, attorneys and other professionals who work business hours. Therefore, it is important to be able to reach them in their offices.

Each volunteer and each case is different. The amount of time devoted to a case depends on the specific family and the amount of time the volunteer has available. CASAs devote an average of 10-15 hours per month. As cases unfold, the demands of research, interviews and report writing will vary. Some weeks will be busier than others.

Advocates with the CASA program are asked to make a commitment to one case and may renew their commitments annually. The average CASA volunteers with us for three years, and many have been with us for ten years or more.

After you complete training, court observation, and are sworn in by a judge, you will choose your first case from those we have available.

If you become a CASA, you will be assigned a single case. That case may have just one child or several children in the same family.

Yes. CASA volunteers must visit their appointed child at least once monthly. They must also attend court hearings as well as participate in Department of Human Services meetings and school conferences, as needed.

While the majority of the children we serve are housed in our four-county region, there will be occasions that children are housed outside of Northwest Arkansas. In those circumstances, we hope the CASA can still visit their child as often as possible, at the least every other month.