Child Advocate

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About Cumberland County CASA Program

Location:

One Courthouse Square, Carlisle, PA 17013, US

Mission Statement

The mission of the Cumberland County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program is to assist the Court in determining what serves in the best interest of abused and/or neglected children whose cases are in the Dependency Court system. Through independent information-gathering and active case engagement, trained CASA volunteers develop and present their recommendations to the Court to aid in establishing a safe, permanent and nurturing home for the child or sibling group to whom they have been appointed.

Description

The program recruits, screens, trains, and supervises volunteers who are then appointed by the dependency judge to help represent the best interests of abused and/or neglected children. After successful completion of screening and training, the CASA volunteer serves as the "eyes and ears of the court" by providing a more detailed account of each child's situation to aid the judge in permanency planning decisions. CASA's goals are: 1) to gather information on all circumstances surrounding the child's case. 2) to report the findings and make recommendations to the court. 3) to monitor the case to ensure that necessary services are received and that court orders are followed.