Be a Voice in Court for a Child! Court Appointed Special Advocate

We are seeking volunteers to act as Family Law CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in King County. A CASA volunteers their time and receives training to investigate and report on the best interests of children during complex child custody cases. During cases like these, parents are often unable to focus on the needs of their children. CASAs advocate for the best interests of children by gathering information and making recommendations to the court about parenting plans in a child’s (or children’s) best interests. 60% of the families we serve and 38% of our CASAs are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color). We encourage BIPOC individuals to apply to volunteer.

Our Mission Statement: Family Law CASA advocates for children in complex cases across King County so they have the best chance for a safe, more secure home life, advancing equity for low-income families and significantly reducing the risk of abuse and neglect.

Our Racial Equity Values Statement: At Family Law CASA, we recognize our existence is inextricably tied to racist, sexist, and classist systems that disproportionately impact marginalized groups of King County, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and people in low-income communities. Through our critical work championing children’s voices in family court, we seek to continue to mitigate these real impacts by:

• • Implementing anti-racist and inclusive practices and intentionally participating in ongoing equity and bias training with our board, staff, and volunteer advocates.
  • Including and elevating the voices of all stakeholders that intersect with our program and hold ourselves and our allies accountable for ensuring access to justice and equitable representation in family court.
  • Recognizing that authentically engaging with and centering historically marginalized voices will enable us to disrupt systemic harm and transform our practices, programming, and organization to be more equitable.

In addition, we have adopted the Washington Race and Equity Justice Initiative Acknowledgement and Commitments.

What does a Court Appointed Special Advocate do?

After 25 hours of training (provided by Family Law CASA) and an orientation meeting with an Advocate Supervisor, new advocates spend an average of 10-12 hours a month over 6-12 months conducting an investigation and writing a report. Throughout the investigation, CASAs are supported by an Advocate Supervisor (staff member at Family Law CASA) who guides them through each step of the process. Advocates are also represented by the Family Law CASA Attorney. While each case is unique, a Court Appointed Special Advocate generally completes the following tasks:

• Interviews parents, teachers, doctors, the child or children, and others who might provide helpful information about intricate family dynamics
• Reviews provided background checks, CPS reports, chemical dependency reports and medical or psychological reports
• Asks screening questions during interviews to assess for unreported domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse and/or mental health challenges
• Observes the child's interactions with parents to assess parent-child bonds or any unaddressed needs
• Writes a report that includes recommendations about what is best for the child in the case

Requirements:

Advocates come from all walks of life, careers, ages, backgrounds and demographics to serve as a CASA. We have opportunities for advocates in all areas of King County. To volunteer as a CASA, you must:

• Be 21 years of age or older
• Have reliable transportation to get to/from meetings
• Be able to reliably access and use a computer, including email
• Have strong writing and communication skills
• Be able to speak and write in English (court is conducted in English without reliable access to interpreters in our cases)
• Have reasonable time available to investigate the case & write reports by the court specified due dates
• Have no criminal record

To apply and/or find out more, please visit our website. You can find the application form at the bottom of this page: https://familylawcasa.org/volunteer/

After a brief screening interview, there are two required training dates to become a CASA. One training takes place in-person in Tukwila and another is conducted virtually. Prior to the first training, you will receive virtual trainings to complete.