Welcome to the “Judges’ Corner” Resource Center
The first CASA program was established by a judge,
and judges continue to play a key role in developing new
CASA/GAL programs, sustaining existing programs and expanding
the network. An effective relationship between the program and
the court is essential to CASA programs' ability to provide
effective volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children.
From 2003-2008, the National CASA Association and the National
Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges formed a
partnership known as the Judicial Liaison Committee. The
committee was dedicated to identifying all judges who heard
child welfare cases and providing them with access to technical
assistance and education offered by both national organizations.
The committee sponsored The Judges’ Page, a number of books
and articles, a DVD/video and the “Lead Judge Project.”
This resource center is designed to provide judges with the
tools they need to work effectively with the local CASA/GAL
program. Judges who currently work with a local CASA/GAL
program, judicial officers rotating into a dependency court
assignment and judges interested in developing a CASA/GAL
program will all find useful information and resources.
To use this site, link to the file that suits your
needs and interest.
- NCJFCJ’s 14-minute video on how CASA programs
benefit dependency courts and the children they serve—View
it now. To download the video (26.9MB wmv), right click on "View" and
select "Save Target As..."
- Judges Value CASA Volunteers But Need More of Them
Survey
shows that judges find the work of CASA/GAL volunteers to be
high quality, beneficial to judicial decision-making and
beneficial to the children and families served. But more
volunteers are needed.
- NCJFCJ’s Juvenile and Family Justice TODAY
features articles on the judicial role in creating and
supporting CASA/GAL programs and a board resolution supporting
recruitment of CASA volunteers of color
Read more... (163 KB PDF)
- Judges’ Guide to CASA/GAL Program Development
Guide outlines the role and value of volunteer
advocates, the role of the judge in creating and maintaining a
CASA/GAL program and the importance of the court’s leadership
and active involvement as well as judicial ethics that impact
the judge's involvement. Download the
Executive Summary (92KB PDF), the
2007 Ethics Supplement (51KB PDF) or
the Judges' Guide (1.03 MB PDF). Purchase a
printed copy of the guide at ShopCASA.org.
- National CASA Program Standards
The National CASA standards for local programs and the quality
assurance system assure that member programs share a common
mission and are consistent nationwide in upholding core
standards.
-
Court-CASA Best Practices Issue of The Judges’ Page
including an article entitled “COURT-CASA Programs: Holding
Each Other Accountable."
Read more... (383KB PDF)
- Local Program Successes: Articles describing
CASA/GAL program innovations and resource development
successes. Read more...
- Court-based Education Efforts for Children in Foster
Care chronicles the efforts of the Pima County
Juvenile Courts to improve educational outcomes for children
and youth in foster care.
Download the report (1.4MB PDF) published by Casey Family
Programs in 2007.
- Lead Judge Project
The Lead Judge Project was designed to enhance
collaboration between members of the state court judiciary and
CASA/GAL programs through activities that promote awareness of
the role and standards of CASA/GAL programs and encourage
enhancements to and expansion of the network. Lead or key
contact judges have been selected in the following states to
work with state and local CASA/GAL programs: AR, CA, DE, GA,
ID, KY, MO, OH, OK, PA, RI, VT, VA, WI.
Read more about the
Lead Judge Project.
- Past issues of The Judges’ Page
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