A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court.

A CASA volunteer provides a judge with a carefully researched background of the child to help the court make a sound decision about that child's future. The CASA volunteer must determine if it is in a child's best interest to stay with his or her parents or guardians, be placed in foster care, be placed with other relatives, or be freed for permanent adoption.

To prepare a recommendation, the CASA volunteer talks with the child, parents, family members, social workers, school officials, health providers and others who are knowledgable about the child's history. The CASA volunteer also reviews all records pertaining to the child -- school, medical, caseworker reports and other documents.

The CASA volunteer does not provide legal representation. That is the role of the attorney. However, the CASA volunteer does provide crucial background information that assists attorneys in presenting their cases.

CASA volunteers come from all walks of life, with a variety of educational and ethnic backgrounds. There are more than 73,000 CASA volunteers nationally. Aside from their CASA volunteer responsibility, 50 percent are employed in regular full-time jobs.

The number varies from jurisdiction, but an average caseload is one to two.

There are over 930 CASA programs in every state across the country including Washington D.C. and the U.S Virgin Islands.

Research suggests that children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and less time within the foster care system than those who do not have CASA representation. Judges have observed that CASA children also have better chances of finding permanent homes than non-CASA children.

Each case is different. A CASA volunteer usually spends about 10 hours doing research and conducting interviews prior to the first court appearance. More complicated cases take longer. Once initiated into the system, volunteers work about 10-15 hours a month.

At the local level, CASAS programs are generally funded through a combination of private and public funds. Many programs are privately funded through services organizations such as the Junior League and the National Council of Jewish Women. The National CASA Association is funded through a combination of private grants, federal funds (U.S. Justice Department), memberships and contributions.