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97 people are interested
Be an Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children
ORGANIZATION: Boston CASA
Please visit the new page to apply.
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97 people are interested
Boston CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) are appointed by juvenile court judges to be the eyes and ears of the court in complicated abuse and neglect cases. CASA volunteers work to be a unifying force on behalf of children - gathering information, communicating with all parties, and ensuring that children in foster care have a caring and consistent adult speaking up for them and making sure they are receiving the care they need and deserve.
CASA volunteers stay with a child until the case is closed and the child is in a safe and permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives in which foster parents, social workers, lawyers, teachers and mental health providers can change frequently. A child with a CASA volunteer is more likely to find a safe, permanent home; is half as likely to re-enter the foster care system; and is more likely to succeed in school.
We require all potential volunteers to go through an application process, to be at least 21 years of age, and able to commit to 18 months with the Program. Visit our volunteer page to learn more: https://bostoncasa.org/volunteer
More opportunities with Boston CASA
No additional volunteer opportunities at this time.
About Boston CASA
Location:
85 Merrimac Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02114, US
Mission Statement
Boston CASA’s mission is to ensure a safe and permanent home for court-involved children in Suffolk and Middlesex Counties who have experienced abuse and neglect. We recruit, train and supervise community volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) who advocate for a child's best interests inside and outside of the courtroom.
Description
When the Department of Children and Families suspects a child has suffered abuse or neglect, they may remove them from their home and place them in the foster care system. The child is pulled from their familiar environment and thrust into a world of case workers, foster parents and attorneys as they face an unknown future. As their case enters the juvenile court system, a judge may request a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a volunteer who will watch over the child or sibling group throughout their case.
It’s Boston CASA that makes this work possible. We are the independent nonprofit that recruits, trains and supports volunteer child advocates.
Volunteers advocate for the child’s best interest in court, collaborate with everyone in the child’s life to help ensure their physical, emotional, mental health, and educational needs are met, provide a consistent and stable adult presence in the child’s life,work on a single case-one child or sibling group-at a time, and stay with that case until it is closed. The goal for every case is permanency-for each child to find a safe and permanent home, and for teens aging out of the foster care system to transition successfully into independent adulthood. No child should have to walk the path of foster care alone.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
85 Merrimac StreetSuite 401Boston, MA 02114
DATE POSTED
November 25, 2019
SKILLS
- Child Welfare
- Crisis Intervention
- Child Advocacy
- Cross-cultural Communication
- Relationship Building
- Verbal / Written Communication
GOOD FOR
- People 55+
REQUIREMENTS
- Background Check
- Must be at least 21
- Orientation or Training
- 30 hours of initial training and 12 hours of on-going training throughout the year. Some flexibility during daytime hours required (approximately 10-15 hours per month)