Get Involved
Help improve the lives of children in foster care in your community by getting involved with CASA.
Become a CASA Volunteer
CASA volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life who do exceptional work. They are trained to advocate for the well-being of Georgia’s children experiencing foster care and are appointed by the court to advocate for each child’s best interest. That’s their sole purpose.
What does a CASA volunteer do?
CASA volunteers:
- Establish a stable, one-on-one relationship with a child in foster care and get to know the child’s unique history
- Gather information from anyone who can shed light on the child’s situation – teachers, foster parents, family members, physicians, etc.
Help the child plan and develop age-appropriate goals
- Ensure the child has access to needed medical, education, career, and housing services
Attend court proceedings (usually every six months) and make an informed, independent recommendation to the judge to improve the child’s experience while in foster care and his/her overall well-being
- Bring a sense of urgency to the child’s needs and promote safety
- Advocate for timeliness and permanency for children involved in juvenile court proceedings
Remain involved until the case is permanently resolved to keep the focus on the child
Learn more about a CASA volunteer’s role and purpose
Check out this brief video about becoming a CASA volunteer
Check out some frequently asked questions
“Children are in need of dreams; children entering juvenile court have no dreams or hope for the future. CASA gives them that hope and helps them to understand that what has happened to them is not their fault; they are not defective or substandard. CASA volunteers are there to help a child rise above it all.”
Five Steps to Make a Difference
The actions of a single person — a CASA volunteer — can mean everything to a child in foster care. A child with a CASA is more likely to receive needed services and be placed in a safe, permanent home when reunification isn’t likely. CASA volunteers make a difference every day. You can, too. Become a volunteer.
FAQ’s
No. CASA volunteers are everyday citizens from all walks of life who care about children and their welfare. Your common sense, life experience, and desire to help is all you need to begin. You will be receiving special training and supervision to ensure you have a complete understanding of your role before you are assigned a case.
Once children and youth are taken into DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) custody, their cases are overseen by judges in the juvenile courts who appoint CASA volunteers to focus on the child and provide recommendations to improve a child’s experience while in foster care, as well as the child’s overall well-being.
Social workers are employed by the state and often assigned many cases at a time. The social worker is responsible for helping an entire family, which includes setting up individual services for family members. A CASA volunteer is the advocate for the child, is not paid, works with only a few cases at a time, and does not set up services. The CASA volunteer does not replace the social worker on a case; he or she is an independent officer of the court and works within the child welfare system to improve children’s experiences while in foster care.
CASA volunteers are only appointed to children who have come to the attention of the juvenile court system due to abuse or neglect. Like a mentoring program, the CASA volunteer does develop a relationship with the child through frequent contact; however, the primary role of the CASA volunteer is to gather information about the child, write reports to the court, and attend court hearings. The CASA program is not a mentoring program.
Find a Program
Georgia CASA currently supports 45 affiliate programs serving 158 counties. To find a program near you, use our Program Directory to search by county or name of the program.
Develop an Affiliate Program
If your county is not being served, learn how you can support developing a CASA program to help the abused and neglected children in your community.
Program Training
A schedule of upcoming Volunteer Training sessions appears below for affiliate CASA programs that have requested to be listed. If you don’t see a particular program listed, please contact the program directly.
The Wimberly Center for Community Development
163 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Winder, GA 30680
Kristen Romanowski
770-601-6840
Website
Classroom Training
Thursdays from May 11 – June 15
6 – 9 p.m.
Gainesville, GA
Tracy L. Verrigni
770-531-1964
Website
Flex Trainings (in-person + online)
Spring/Summer: Tuesdays and Thursdays from April 25 – June 6
Summer/Fall: Tuesdays and Thursdays from August 15 – September 26
770-528-2285
Classroom Training
Thursdays from 4 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
July 6 – August 3
9163 Tara Blvd.
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Meredith Smith
678-610-1061
Website
Classroom Training
Tuesdays and Thursdays
9 a.m. – 12 p.m. OR 6 – 9 p.m.
July 11 – August 10
Dahlonega, GA and Blairsville, GA
Fran Parks
706-864-0300
Website
Classroom Trainings
Starting dates as follows:
May 8 in Blairsville, GA
July 10 in Dahlonega, GA
September 11 in Blairsville, GA
November 6 in Dahlonega, GA
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Justine Ferreira
404-292-8291
Website
Orientations (online)
Wednesday, June 7 at 11 a.m.
Thursday, June 8 at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 11 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 12 at 11 a.m.
Bailey Bishop
706-327-9612 ext. 1506
Website
Training (online)
Thursdays from September 7 to October 12
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Major Events
August 12, 2023
The annual Georgia CASA Conference will take place at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center in Atlanta. Check out the event page for updates and to register.