Child Advocates of Placer County is currently in need of 30 new volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) or Mentors. 

CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court and other settings. In 2014 they provided volunteers to over 500 children and families in Placer County.

CASA/Mentor volunteers are referred to as “the eyes and ears of the judge, and the voice of the child” in juvenile dependency proceedings. You will be the glue that connects the pieces in a complicated child welfare system to ensure that the child’s best interests are met. 

You are asked to dedicate yourself to a case until it closes, and typically cases last 12-18 months.

Steps to become a volunteer:

• Start by attending an in-person or on-line Orientation. Visit casaplacer.org to learn more.
• After you complete orientation you will be directed to the written application.
• Your application will be reviewed and we will schedule you for an interview with one of their staff.
• If at this point you decide to become a CASA or Mentor, you will begin our 31-hour training class (14 hours of independent study and 17 hours of in-person training). These classes occur every other month.
• They will require a fingerprint background screening.
• Following completion of training, you will be sworn in by a judge as an “Officer of the Court” and they will match you with a child in need.

For more information on Child Advocates of Placer County, visit www.casaplacer.org