There are now more than 678 programs in all 50 states, with more than 38,400 volunteers. Preliminary findings show that children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court, and less time within the foster care system, than those who do not have CASA representation. Judges have observed that CASA children also have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children. Each case is different. A CASA volunteer usually spends about 15-20 hours doing research and conducting interviews prior to the first court appearance.
More complicated cases take longer.
Once initiated into the system, volunteers work about 10-15 hours a month. There are other child advocacy organizations, but CASA is the only program where volunteers are appointed by the court to have specific responsibility of looking after the child's best interest.