CASA Volunteer
ORGANIZATION: CASA for Children - Serving Multnomah, Washington, Columbia and Tillamook Counties
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CASA for Children
Serving Multnomah, Washington, Columbia, & Tillamook Counties - Oregon
CASA Volunteer Position Description
Purpose:
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is the tireless and passionate protector of a child who has been abused or neglected, and is going through the trauma of the foster care system. They are adult volunteers who are trained, appointed by the court, and are committed to ensuring each individual child’s needs remain a priority in an overburdened child welfare system. A CASA works to ensure that each child is placed in a safe and permanent home within a reasonable time frame.
Responsibilities:
Investigate Thoroughly and conscientiously investigates all of the relevant facts of the situation. Speaks to the various parties involved in the child’s life to gather information and identify their needs.
Advocate Ensures that the relevant facts of the situation are presented to the court. Reports to the court and makes recommendations in the child’s best interests.
Facilitate Promotes collaboration among relevant parties in the case. Encourages appropriate service delivery in meeting the child’s needs. Expedites the placement of the child in a safe permanent home.
Monitor Observes the welfare and wellbeing of the child outside of the legal proceedings happening within the court system. Watches to ensure compliance to court orders by all parties. Brings to the court’s attention any change in circumstances that may require modification of the court order.
Qualifications:
- Passionately dedicated to helping children who have been abused or neglected during their most dire times of need.
- Able to maintain compassion, perspective, and objectivity in an emotionally charged situation.
- Capable of adhering to time commitments for training and seeing a case through to the final resolution. This includes attending court proceedings and maintaining communication with relevant parties involved in the case, including your CASA Supervisor.
- Proficient in interacting with individuals in a cooperative fashion using tact and positive human relations skills.
- Skilled at maintaining strict confidentiality.
- Cognizant of timelines and able to meet deadlines for matters such as reports.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to maintain current and complete files on each assigned case. Ability to accurately communicate a child’s status to the presiding judge.
Requirements:
- Must be at least 21 years of age.
- Successfully complete background checks.
- You may not be a current foster parent or be in the process of adopting a child from DHS.
- Satisfactory completion of initial and on-going training requirements.
- Maintain strict adherence to program policies, guidelines, CASA’s role, and ethics standard.
1 More opportunity with CASA for Children - Serving Multnomah, Washington, Columbia and Tillamook Counties
Opportunities
About CASA for Children - Serving Multnomah, Washington, Columbia and Tillamook Counties
Location:
1401 NE 68th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213, US
Mission Statement
We advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are in custody of the state and under the protection of the court. We dedicate our resources to recruiting, training, and supporting citizen advocates to provide quality advocacy to as many children as we can.
Description
CASA arrived in Multnomah County in 1986 and has grown to one of the largest and longest serving CASA organizations in the nation. Today we serve Oregon’s largest group of children who are in protective custody of the court. There are over 4,000 children living in the foster care system in Multnomah, Washington, Columbia and Tillamook counties. The role of local programs such as the CASA for Children of Multnomah, Washington, Columbia & Tillamook Counties is to recruit, train and support the volunteers who work with the children in their community. Since 1986, our CASA volunteers have helped over 25,000 children find a safe and permanent home.
A CASA is the tireless and passionate protector of a child who has been abused or neglected and is experiencing the trauma of involvement in the system. They are granted tremendous authority by the court, and are able to do what it takes to see that a child is not ignored, their best interests and critical needs are addressed, and that the presiding judge is able to understand the true facts of a child’s condition in an over-burdened child welfare system.
CASAs are in a unique position to work in the system without being of the system. Throughout the process, CASAs have permission to visit the children regularly, talk to a child’s parents, teachers, caseworkers, doctors and therapists in order to hear all perspectives and give an unbiased portrayal of the case to the judge. CASAs help kids through the system safely, quickly, and more effectively.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
Multiple locations Portland, OR 97213
DATE POSTED
May 15, 2024
SKILLS
- General Education
- Mentoring
- Youth Services
- Child Welfare
- Case Work / Management
- Social Work
GOOD FOR
N/A
REQUIREMENTS
- Background Check
- Must be at least 21
- Orientation or Training