York County
Wanda L. Noll…Director
Tina Myers…Volunteer
Coordinator
Maggie O’Brennan…Community
Liaison
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York County Human Services:
Court Administration
Fiscal year budget January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006: $112,569
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THE MISSION OF THE
YORK COUNTY COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE (CASA) PROGRAM is to provide
advocacy in court, for abused and neglected children, that will lead to
placement in safe and permanent homes. |
ALMOST HALF A
MILLION CHILDREN
IN THE U.S. LIVE
IN FOSTER CARE
They have been removed from their homes
through no fault of their own; they have been removed because of abuse or
neglect. The York County CASA Program’s
volunteers advocate in dependency court for the rights of these children.
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What is
CASA?
Concerned
over making decisions about abused and neglected children’s lives without
sufficient information, a Seattle Judge conceived the idea of using trained
community volunteers to speak in court for the best of interests of these
children. This Seattle program was so
successful that soon Judges across the country began utilizing CASA advocates.
In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the
expansion of CASA with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today, 932 CASA programs are in operation,
with over 50,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers to 200,000 children.
In addition to providing leadership for CASA
programs across the country, the National CASA Association stages an annual
conference, publishes a quarterly newsletter and promotes CASA through public
relations efforts. National CASA offers
consultation and resources that help start CASA programs, and provides vital
assistance to established programs.
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For more information on the National CASA Association, call 1-800-628-3233
or visit their website at www.nationalcasa.org |
More about York County CASA
In 1986, the Honorable Emanuel Cassimatis
introduced the CASA concept to York County by inviting community members and
professionals interested in child welfare to join in establishing a task force
to explore the possibility of a local CASA program.
The first group of 22
CASA volunteers began training in the fall of 1987; the first case was assigned
in January of 1988. York County CASA is
proud to state that some of those beginning CASAs are still on the front lines,
advocating for children in our community.
Through initial funding sources that
included the Pennsylvania Permanency Planning Task Force, the Junior League of
York, the National CASA Association, our local Lawyer’s Auxiliary and the Human
Services Development Fund, York County CASA was up and running with a full-time
Program Director by July of 1987. By
1990, the York County Commissioners made the CASA Program a line item on the
County’s general budget and allocated monies for a 2nd full-time
employee to fill the role of Volunteer Coordinator; in 1996, the Commissioners
added the salary for a Community Liaison, who facilitates training and
community awareness. In mid-2005, a
part-time staff support was added.
Additionally, the Commissioners have always supported the program by
providing a modest administrative budget for day-to-day operations.
Pennsylvania CASA
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Pennsylvania
currently houses 16 local programs serving 17 counties, 13 that operate as
independent charities and 3 that are funded by their county governments. In 1997, Pennsylvania was awarded a
state-level planning grant to formalize the association of existing programs,
to promote the CASA concept and to assist in establishing new programs across
the state. In 1998, Pennsylvania was
awarded a 2-year grant to hire a state-level Executive Director and to
develop a solid foundation for the Association; Mr. Dennis Hockensmith is the
PA CASA Executive Director. Currently
the PA CASA Assoc continues to be funded by a diverse funding stream that
includes grant dollars from National CASA as well as corporate sponsorships,
fund raising events and other grant opportunities. On December 12, 1998, PA Governor Thomas
Ridge signed into law an amendment to the juvenile act, which addressed the
roles and responsibilities of a CASA volunteer. Volunteer standards were
developed through the collaboration of local programs and the Pennsylvania
Juvenile Court Judges Commission and were formally accepted by the commission
in July of 1999. For
more information on the PA CASA Association call 1-717-233-3118 or visit
their website at http://www.pacasa.org
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what is a CASA volunteer?
CASA volunteers are trained community members who
are appointed by the judge to represent the best interests of abused and/or
neglected children in court.
The CASA volunteer has three main responsibilities:
· to serve as a fact-finder for the judge by
thoroughly researching the background and family dynamics of each assigned
case;
· to report information gathered and make
recommendations to the Judge that represent the child’s best interests; and
· to monitor court orders to ensure that
services are provided to and utilized by the child and his/her family;
concurrently, the CASA volunteer pushes the system to ensure that the child’s
case is brought to a swift and appropriate conclusion.
What does it take
to be a CASA volunteer?
CASA volunteers come from
all lifestyles with a variety of professional, educational and cultural
backgrounds. Aside from their CASA volunteer
work, 52% work full-time; others are retired, students, people who work from
home, etc. A volunteer must be 21 years
of age, have a desire to help children, and the dedication to stay involved for
at least 18 months, but hopefully for the life of the case. It takes objectivity, communication &
negotiation skills and the ability to work with a variety of people. No legal expertise is required. Most CASA volunteers work on 1 case at a
time.
York County CASA
currently boasts a hard-working, dedicated group of 55 volunteers who give
generously of their time. The latest
group of 6 trainees was sworn-in by the Honorable Michael E. Bortner on
November 3, 2005.
York County CASA has a
waiting list of abused and/or neglected children who are in need of advocates.
What is the
difference between CASA and Children & Youth Services?
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The
CASA volunteer does not replace a caseworker; he/she is an independent
appointee of the Court. The CASA
volunteer can make recommendations to the Court independent of state agency
restrictions. |
P York County
Children & Youth Services (CYS) is an agency that is state regulated and
must be available in each county.
P CASA is a program that is optional and is
not mandated to be government funded.
P CYS is governed by the PA Child Protective
Services Law and federal Adoption & Safe Families Act of 1997. CYS is mandated to concurrently work on
permanency planning for the child and reunification efforts with the family.
P CASA is free to advocate for what is in the
best interests of a child by following National CASA Association standards and
local policies. A recent amendment to
the PA Juvenile Act authorizes and empowers the CASA role.
P CYS caseworkers can have as many as 30
cases, with a number of children on each case.
P CASA volunteers usually have only 1 case at
a time and never more than 3.
More about training…
York County CASA conducts at least two
training sessions each year offering 35-40 hours of useful information. CASA training utilizes local service
providers as presenters and covers topics such as community services, dynamics
of abuse, cultural diversity, advocacy, child development and effects of physical
& sexual abuse. The final session
includes the Court’s expectations of the CASA and a swearing-in ceremony. Immediately following, CASA sponsors a
celebration to which new volunteers are encouraged to invite friends and
family.
How do I learn more about Becoming a
volunteer?
Call CASA at
717-771-9754
or toll free at 800-441-2025
e-mail CASA at: