The position of a CASA is to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children while supporting Tulsa CASAs mission that every child deserves a safe, permanent, and nurturing home. As a CASA, you will investigate the circumstances surrounding the case your assigned to, and make an independent evaluation of what is in the child’s best interest, both immediately and in the long run. You monitor the implementation of case plans and court orders, and create a court report including observations, concerns, and recommendations.

CASA volunteers are required to visit the child in their home once a week, or at minimum once a month. Volunteers also attend all court hearings. As a CASA volunteer, you are encouraged but not required to attend visitations, educational meetings, medical appointments, court team meetings, and case staffings.

We ask that volunteers make a 1 year commitment to their case. CASAs are likely the only consistent and dependable person that child knows. CASAs typically spend 10-15 hours per month working on their case. About 50% of CASAs are employed full-time.

Qualifications

To be a Court Appointed Special Advocate, you must be at least 21 years old. You cannot have any felony convictions, and must be able to pass a sex offender registry check, a criminal background check, and a child welfare history background check. You will also provide at least 3 non-relative references with your application, whom Tulsa CASA will contact on your behalf.

Volunteers are not required to have any prior experience with the judicial process or child welfare. You must complete 30 hours of training and court observation to be sworn in by a Judge.

Volunteer training and support

Each volunteer will receive 30 hours of pre-service training. Training is completed in a combined online/in-person format. Topics covered include the law, child protection system, and the courts, developing cultural competence, understanding families and children, communication as a CASA, gathering information, and report and monitoring.

At the end of training, volunteers will complete three hours of court observation before being sworn-in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate by a Tulsa County Juvenile Judge.

Volunteers are asked to complete 12 hours a year of additional in-service training. In-service trainings cover a wide variety of topics that are relevant to cases you may see as a CASA, such as overviews of agencies in Tulsa that we work with, domestic violence, court proceedings, substance abuse, LGBTQ youth, poverty, mental illness, resilience, compassion fatigue, and more!

We have a dedicated and experienced staff to ensure you have the tools needed to be successful. Every Tulsa CASA volunteer is assigned to an Advocate Manager; a paid person on our staff who is there solely to support the advocates they oversee. Advocate Managers go to court alongside volunteers, help them write court reports, guide them in the right direction and answer any questions, eliminate barriers that are in the way, and provide emotional support to the volunteer as they work their case. Our office has an open-door policy and our entire staff is committed to helping volunteers succeed and providing support in any way we are able.

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Still not sure?

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