October 9, 2001 - Iowa



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IOWA CASA PROGRAM FACT SHEET

WHAT IS CASA? Iowa Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is a state funded program that recruits, trains, and supervises adult volunteers to represent the best interests of children in certain abuse and neglect cases.

WHERE DOES CASA OPERATE IN IOWA? The Iowa CASA Program operates in all 99 counties in all judicial districts.

WHAT DO CASAs DO? CASAs have a number of roles to perform:

1. Investigator/Assessor: review all records on the case; interview parties and professionals who have knowledge of the case, talk to child, family, and all collateral resources.

2. Reporter: prepare a written report for each hearing-outlining summary of assessment including recommendations made in child’s best interest.

3. Monitor: provide follow-up on case after judge’s decision to see that court-ordered services are being provided to child and family; oversees progress on the case; advises child welfare professionals of concerns.

WHO CAN BE A CASA? An adult, 19 and older, who completes screening requirements, including criminal history check, background investigation, personal interview, references check; must also complete 30 hours of pre-assignment training; must be interested in the welfare of children, have good verbal and written skills, have flexible schedule, and time to volunteer.

HOW MUCH TIME IS INVOLVED IN BEING A CASA? On the average, a CASA volunteer can expect to spend approximately 10 hours per month working on their case. This time varies greatly depending on the dynamics of each case.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CASA? A CASA volunteer advocate has one case at a time, and can offer concentrated attention in a way that caseworkers are unable to do with their increasing caseloads. The CASA is responsible only to the judge. The CASA advocate brings a “common sense” point of view to the system and can offer an independent perspective to the case. The CASA helps move the child’s case through the system resulting in greater opportunities for the child to achieve permanent placement at the earliest time possible according to state laws.

WHAT STEPS ARE TAKEN TO APPLY AS A CASA VOLUNTEER?

1. Complete the program application and submit it to office of local CASA Coordinator or to the State Iowa Child Advocacy Board (ICAB) office.

a. Apply online at and click on the link Instructions for Applying to become a CASA or FCRB volunteer or download an application to complete and submit to the local CASA Coordinator.

b. Contact the local CASA Coordinator or State ICAB office and request an application to complete and return.

The local Coordinator will contact applicant to further discuss the program and answer questions. The Interview appointment can be scheduled after initial contact is made.

HOW AND WHEN DID CASA ORGINATE?

The idea for a volunteer program to assist Juvenile Court in child abuse cases began in 1977 in Seattle, Washington. Superior Court Judge David Soukup believed trained volunteers could provide more information to judges by assessing/making recommendations/monitoring cases of child abuse under the jurisdiction of juvenile court. In the years since 1977, the Court Appointed Special Advocate program network has grown to almost 950 programs in 50 states. Over 58,000 volunteers are serving the best interests of abused and neglected children. In April 2001, the National CASA Association helped the millionth child since it first started in 1977.

The National CASA Association located in Seattle, Washington was formed in 1982 to offer assistance, direction, program development strategies, legislative information, research and training information to the ever-expanding network of local and state programs across the country.

HOW DID CASA GET STARTED IN IOWA?

The Iowa CASA Program began operations in 1986 under the auspices of the Iowa Supreme Court. As of February 1, 2002 the CASA Program is now under the direction of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board. It is a state funded program, with jurisdiction in all of the eight judicial districts in Iowa. A Program Coordinator supervises program sites. The coordinator recruits, trains and supervises the volunteers as they perform casework duties for the children for whom they are assigned. Expansion sites are designated by the Iowa Child Advocacy Board based on local judicial support, child abuse and general population statistics. The Iowa CASA Program is assigned by the presiding judge to specific cases of child abuse/neglect, which have been designated as needing additional information and monitoring.

For more information about the CASA Program, check out

Iowa’s website at or

National CASA’s website at

Updated 10-18-13

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