Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is an organization in the United States. CASA supports and promotes advocates for abused or neglected children which are appointed by courts of law. The purpose is to provide children with a safe and healthy living environment in permanent homes. The program is similar to, but in most states is not the same as a legal guardian (Guardians ad litem). According to National CASA, today there are more than 77,000 advocates. They serve in 933 state and local program offices nationwide. Because of these volunteers, 233,000 children have been assisted through CASA services.
Training
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are in cities all over the United States. Advocates receive training on the laws of child abuse and neglect. They learn how to interview children and how to work with children with special needs. All advocates are trained to evaluate a family's situation. The typical training is about 30 hours spent in workshops and 10 hours spent in observing court cases and procedures. They also receive 12 hours of in-service training each year. Each CASA location has a volunteer coordinator. Together with a location's overseer (manager) they give help and advice to the advocates.