CASA – court appointed special advocates
At Bergen County CASA, our Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) are the heart and soul of our non profit organization based in Northern New Jersey.
If you are considering joining Bergen County CASA, there are several ways to volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and support our mission of foster child advocacy.
Many volunteers become a CASA while others work behind the scenes in administrative and other support capacities. Email: info@BergenCasa.org to learn more or click the button below to get started on becoming a CASA Child Advocate.
CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates commit to staying on their case until it closes. Initially we ask our CASA to commit 2 years on their appointed case. However the length of time a child remains in the foster care system can vary. Some of our Advocates have been on their case for up to 8 years and our longest case lasted 10 years. This is because if a child is unable to be reunified with their parent and it proves impossible to find them an adoptive home then they may well age out of the system.
When a CASA Court Appointed Special Advocate stays on a case they become the expert regarding their appointed child while everyone around them is changing including the Family Court Judge and often the Division Caseworker.
Our CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates encourage their teens who are on an independent living path to stay until they are 21 years of age. There are many advantages for teens who retain the Division’s services until 21 including: scholarship funding towards college/further education
- stipends towards cost of rent, food and clothing
- support with finding accommodation (rental accommodation etc.)
- referral to mental health services
- health insurance coverage