Volunteer
Who We Are
CASA-NYC volunteer advocates are appointed by family court judges to the cases of children involved in the child welfare system. Our advocates make a long-term commitment to build a trusting relationship with the child, their family, and other caregivers to ensure the child’s needs are met and their rights are protected.
What We Do
Supported by our staff of social workers and attorneys, CASA-NYC volunteer advocates make a thorough assessment of the needs and best interests of each child and collaborate with case workers, family members, attorneys, educators, therapists, and other service providers to ensure children are getting the services and support they need. Advocates help families increase safety and stability so children can remain safely with their parents, or work to move them out of foster care and into safe and permanent homes. When older youth are aging out of foster care without a permanency plan, advocates make sure they have the resources they need to live independently and often become a critical part of the young person’s long-term support system.
If you don’t have the capacity to commit to being a volunteer advocate but would like to volunteer your time in support of youth in foster care, learn more about other ways to get involved such as joining our Associate Board or lending your expertise in other ways by emailing our Volunteer Services department at volunteer@casa-nyc.org.
Get To Know Our Volunteer Advocates
There are hundreds of active CASA-NYC volunteer advocates who share our values and work to help New York's most vulnerable children and families overcome barriers to safety and stability
“What I have learned is that people are resilient. It takes strength and courage for people to go through the system and to do what they need to do to reunite with their families or keep their children. It’s just amazing to me the strength that it takes, and the persistence and the resilience.”
- Veronica ‘Nica’ Strong, CASA-NYC volunteer advocate since 2017
Volunteer Demographics
By Age
Ages 21-29: 14%
Ages 30-39: 33%
Ages 40-49: 18%
Ages 50-59: 14%
Ages 60 and over: 21%
By Race/Ethnicity
White: 66%
Black/African American: 13%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 11%
Hispanic/Latinx: 4%
Two+ Races: 4%
Unknown: 2%
By Gender
Female: 88%
Male: 12%
Qualifications
21 years old
Able to dedicate a minimum of 3-5 hours each week to their assigned cases for a minimum of 2 years or the life of the case, whichever is longer.
The Application & Training Process
Information Session
Attend one of our hour-long information sessions to better understand the role of a volunteer advocate and determine if it would be the right fit for your passions and skill set. Our staff will be happy to answer any questions you have at this point in the process!
Apply
After attending an information session, prospective volunteer advocates should complete an online application. Applications are evaluated based on individual qualifications and our current need for volunteers and are then invited to participate in a virtual interview. CASA-NYC will contact three references and conduct thorough background checks as part of the screening process. After all phases of the application process have been completed, applicants will be notified of whether or not they will be invited to participate in an upcoming training class.
Training
Prospective volunteer advocates whose applications have been approved are invited to attend 35+ hours of pre-service training. This foundational training reviews the role of CASA, how to work with the children and families we serve, the systems we interact with, and the policies that impact these systems. Training session topics include the impact of trauma on the populations we serve, domestic violence, poverty, anti-racist practices, and more topics that will help volunteers confidently advocate for children, youth, and their families.
Getting Started
Upon completion of pre-service training, prospective advocates are sworn in by a family court judge before beginning their CASA service. Newly sworn volunteer Advocates are then paired with an advocate supervisor on our staff who work very closely with volunteers to guide them in their advocacy. Volunteers are required to maintain detailed and timely notes on their case and complete at least 12 hours of continuing education training annually to support their advocacy.
The Advocacy
Volunteers should expect to spend at least 3-5 hours a week on advocacy, one hour a month in supervision, and a minimum of 12 hours each year on additional training. Volunteers make a commitment to serve as advocates for a minimum of two years, but, more importantly, for the life of a case. It is critical that once a volunteer commits to serving as a child or youth’s advocate, they continue to serve as long as they are needed.
Given the amount of turnover in child welfare professionals, a CASA volunteer is often the one person who remains involved with a child’s case for its duration, and this consistency is critical to a child’s stability. Volunteers working with older youth transitioning from foster care often support that youth until they turn 26.
Advocacy looks like:
Volunteer advocates are assigned one or two cases at a time, ensuring they can dedicate the appropriate amount of attention required to provide support to the child or youth for as long as necessary as they navigate the child welfare system. Volunteers participate in court hearings, build relationships with all parties involved in the case, and advocate diligently for the services necessary for a child’s wellbeing, all with the guidance of our staff of experienced child welfare professionals, licensed social workers and attorneys.
The Impact
Each year, tens of thousands of volunteer service hours are dedicated to serving more than 1,100 children and youth throughout New York City.
“I am forever grateful and appreciative to have met someone like Susan, my CASA volunteer. If the majority of CASA volunteers are like this woman that I was fortunate enough to have, then everyone in foster care deserves a CASA volunteer… I will always remember Susan for the faith she had in me before I had it in myself.”
-Ericka Francois, Alumnus of NYC Foster Care, current CASA-NYC Board Member
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