Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program's objective is to recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers to serve as a powerful voice for children who have been found to be abused or neglected by the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Serving at the request of the Court, it is the driving goal of CASA to ensure that the best interests of these vulnerable children are represented and that all children served by the program will be placed in safe, permanent, and loving homes. Volunteer advocates receive 30+ hours of highly specialized pre-service training to carry out the mandate of the Court to: (1) investigate each case of child abuse and neglect to provide independent factual information to the court; (2) submit to the court a written report of the investigation in compliance with statutory provisions regarding such reports, including recommendations as to the child's welfare; (3) monitor each case to ensure compliance with the court's orders, including observing the child in his or her placement; and, (4) assist the guardian ad litem's representation of the child's needs and best interests, per the Code of Virginia.  CASA Volunteers are the promise keepers, providing a voice to children so that they are heard in the often chaotic, confusing and scary child welfare system.