Address:  1300 Bradford Parkway, Springfield, MO 65802

Telephone:  417.875.7413

FAX:  417.864.7412

Website: http://www.casaswmo.org/

Email:  info@casaswmo.org

Purpose

CASA of Southwest Missouri is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for timely placement of abused and neglected children in safe permanent homes and for the highest quality of care while they are under the court's jurisdiction.

Mission

To recruit, train and support community volunteers who assist the protecting the best interests of abused and neglected children in Southern Missouri.

About

CASA is an intervention and prevention program with the objective of finding safe, permanent homes for abused and neglected children. CASA works to prevent future incidence of abuse and protects siblings from similar experiences by assisting child welfare professionals and acting as "the eyes and ears" of the juvenile court judge. Children who have a CASA volunteer spend an average of one year or less in the foster care system. CASA of Southwest Missouri relies entirely on grants and gifts from the community for support. The funds are spent to recruit, screen and train additional advocates.

CASA Volunteers

• Responsibilities: CASA volunteers thoroughly investigate the circumstances of each case by reading the juvenile court files and visiting the child in foster care. They interview natural parents, relatives, teachers, day-care workers, therapists, and others with relevant information about the child. They make monthly reports and attend meetings and court hearings for their child.
• Qualifications:
  • 21 years of age or older
  • Completed high school or equivalent
  • Willing to commit an average of 12-15 hours per month for 2 to 3 years as a volunteer
  • Act as an independent investigator and represent the best interest of the child
  • Write and submit monthly summaries and activity log sheets and written reports to the court
  • Do not have any felony convictions
  • Have not had prior experience with the juvenile court system as an employee of the Juvenile Justice Center of the Division of Family Services or as a current foster care provider
• Training: CASA of Southwest Missouri holds two or more volunteer training sessions per year. Each training session consists of 30 hours of interactive learning, usually planned as ten sessions of weekly 3-hour classes. Following initial training, all volunteers are expected to continue to learn by attending 12 hours of additional training each year.

Population Served

Abused and neglected children in Southwest Missouri. 

As of 8/06

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