Hundreds of Iowa children have experienced abuse and neglect and need you to advocate on their behalf CASAs are recruited to serve in over 60 Iowa counties.
CASA volunteers - Court Appointed Special Advocates - represent a child's best interests in the child welfare system. These children have experienced abuse and neglect and need someone to invest their time in helping a child's voice be heard; helping to turn a child's world of hurt into one of hope. The Iowa Court Appointed Special Advocate Program recruits, trains and supports community volunteer
s to serve as an effective voice in court for children who may have been removed from their homes due to safety concerns or who remain at risk in their homes. Children and families who are in crisis may become involved in the child welfare system with court oversight and need the extra support from a CASA Advocate. Advocates help strengthen efforts to ensure that each child is living in a safe, permanent and nurturing home. The Court Appointed Special Advocate is typically assigned one case at a time and does a variety of things to promote the child's best interests: investigation, assessment, facilitation, monitoring and advocacy. Iowa CASA is a part of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board. The Iowa Child Advocacy Board (ICAB) is an independent board established in Iowa Code Chapter 237, Division II to provide for citizen involvement in child welfare issues. It is composed of nine members appointed by the Governor of Iowa. ICAB is a unit of state government attached to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. ICAB establishes policies and procedures for two volunteer child advocacy programs: the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program and the Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) program. Along with establishing these programs to support the work of citizen volunteers helping children who have experienced abuse and neglect, ICAB is also required to report annually its findings on issues affecting the best interests of children in Iowa's child welfare system and to offer recommendations for improvements. Shared with Public
