Frequently Asked Questions

CASA of North Arkansas provides volunteer advocates to children who have been removed from homes in Baxter, Boone, Marion, and Newton counties.

If you haven’t heard of the CASA program, it’s because judges, caseworkers, attorneys, CASA volunteers, and CASA staff are required to maintain absolute confidentiality about the children they serve. In order to protect our children, therefore, the agency must work in relative anonymity.

CASA volunteers are assigned to children in the foster care system or to those at risk of entering foster care as a result of abuse, neglect, and/or the parent’s/guardian’s inability to care for the child.

The role of a Court Appointed Special Advocate is different than a mentor or friend. Advocates make thorough inquiries into dependency matters by speaking with all parties involved in the case and submitting formal written reports to the court. The goal of a CASA is to move children efficiently through the child welfare system into safe, permanent homes where they can grow to be successful adults.

Only a judge can assign a CASA volunteer to a case. On occasion, the children’s or parent’s attorneys, the caseworkers’ attorney, or the child’s foster parents, may request that the judge assign a CASA.

CASA volunteers may be assigned to children ranging in age from newborn through age 20.

The Department of Human Services is the agency that provides protection to Arkansan children in need. Caseworkers provide services intended to strengthen family life and enable children to remain safe in their own homes or to reunite them with their parents if they are already in foster care. A CASA volunteer does not replace a caseworker on the case but is an independent appointee of the court who monitors both the actions of the family and the case plan activity, with only the best interests of the child in mind.

​In Arkansas, children involved in dependency proceedings are appointed their own attorney called an Attorney Ad Litem. The Attorney Ad Litem is the child’s legal representation. A CASA volunteer, on the other hand, serves as the eyes and ears of the court. The advocate gathers information, monitors a child’s case plan, and reports back to the Attorney Ad Litem, the DHS, and the judge. The judge then uses the CASA findings to make better-informed decisions regarding a child’s future.

​Judges have noted the value of the information that a CASA volunteer brings to the proceedings and are appreciative of the unique perspective presented by CASA volunteers. In addition, national studies show that a child who has been assigned a CASA volunteer is more likely to secure needed services in a timely manner; is moved from placement to placement less frequently; is more likely to have his/her case reviewed regularly by the court; and has a better chance of living in a safe, permanent home than those who do not have CASA representation.