CASA of East Tennessee Seeks Volunteers to Serve as Child Advocates

Looking for ways to serve the Knoxville community? CASA of East Tennessee provides opportunities to support future generations of Knoxville by volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

CASA is looking for volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates. The 30-hour training and 3 hours of court observation prepare future CASAs for their role as advocates for children in abuse and neglect cases in the Knox County Juvenile Court. CASA volunteers are everyday citizens that judges appoint to advocate for the safety and well-being of children who have been removed from their homes due to parental abuse and neglect. Advocates stand up for these children and change their lives. CASA volunteers listen first. Then they act. Volunteers get to know the child and talk with everyone in that child’s life—parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them.

Being a CASA volunteer does not require any special education or background, just a heart for children and a willingness to speak out and represent their best interests.

You must be 21 or over, pass background checks, participate in a 33-hour pre-service training course and agree to stay with a case until it is closed (1 1/2 years on average).

For more information, check out www.casaofeasttn.org or email volunteer@casaofeasttn.org.

About CASA of East Tennessee:

CASA of East Tennessee, Inc. was established in 1986 in Knox County when Judge Carey E. Garrett became aware of a growing nationwide CASA movement responding to the needs of Juvenile Court Judges for assistance in abuse and neglect cases.

He believed that a CASA organization in Knoxville could assist the juvenile court system in our area through gathering critical information about the lives of the children within the system. Since then, we’ve been working daily to fulfill our mission to improve the lives of abused and neglected children through trained volunteers who advocate for a safe, permanent, loving home. The goal of our intervention is to represent the best interests of each child we serve.

CASA of East Tennessee, Inc. is a member of the National CASA Association.