It entails fingerprinting, a criminal background check and 40 hours of training. Individuals need to write assessments of the child, make court appearances to speak on the child's behalf and keep in touch with the child regularly. They bring a lot of very valuable information to the table. Jan Biggerstaff, who's worked on 12 cases for CASA, always staples a photo of the child on every court report she writes. I'm here to see the child isn't ignored by the system.
CASA volunteers meet with mixed results.
On Biggerstaff's first case, her efforts helped terminate the parental rights of a mother with substance abuse problems and place a toddler in a loving home. Laws wasn't so successful. Her first case lasted four years and involved three sisters, two of whom were eventually returned to their parents. Children ask for so little. All they want is to be loved.