Wilson County CASA, Inc.

The mission of Wilson County CASA is to provide specially selected and trained community volunteers to speak up for abused and neglected children, one child at a time, so that each child is permitted to grow up in a safe and permanent home. The volunteers are appointed by a judge. The CASA volunteer's role is to advocate for the best interests of those children they serve by interviewing all individuals with information pertaining to the child, interviewing the child, then submitting a report to the court. Our goal is that all children we serve have safe, nurturing and permanent homes. The CASA program is operated under the direction of a 15-member board of directors and employs two full time positions and three part time positions who, in turn, supervise and support volunteers. Last year, 80 CASA volunteers provided advocacy for 253 children. Those wishing to volunteer their time to advocate for a child are asked to complete an application, participate in a pre-training interview, and attend a 30-hour training course. Wilson County CASA staff will conduct a criminal background screening which includes fingerprinting and a variety of background searches when training is completed. After training and background checks have been completed and the staff feels the volunteer is ready to take a case, the volunteer is assigned. A CASA volunteer usually work about 5-10 hours a month; but this varies from case to case. The three main responsibilities of the CASA volunteer are (1) serve as a fact-finder for the judge by researching the background of the case; (2) speak for the child in the courtroom, representing the child's wishes and best interest; and (3) continue to act as a monitor for the child during the life of the case, ensuring that it is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion. CASA programs are cost and child effective. Prior studies show that children who have been assigned CASA volunteers spend less time in court and less time within the foster care system than those who do not have CASA representation. The average length of stay for a child in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services in Wilson County 12 months while the average length of stay of a child that has a CASA volunteer is six months. Studies have also observed that CASA children have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children. The program, incorporated in 1987, is funded by United Way and by state, federal, and local grants, community fundraisers, and private donations. Wilson County CASA is a 501c3. The cost of service to one child for the CASA program is $1,000 annually. The cost includes training the volunteer, supervision of the volunteer assigned, support services to the volunteer, and other expenses associated with reporting to the Court. For more information about CASA visit http://www.wilsoncountycasa.org or call 615-443-2002.