Dubois County CASA

Dubois County CASA

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Who is a CASA?

Court Appointed Special Advocates are community volunteers trained to represent the best interests of children who are part of the court system due to abuse or neglect. As a CASA, you can make a huge difference in a child’s life during this uncertain time.

Advocates are assigned their first case after 30 hours of training. This training consists of class time, reading, courtroom observation, and shadowing a seasoned volunteer on a visit. Once training is completed, advocates have the support of the CASA staff.

CASAs average 5-7 hours a month on their cases. They must be available to attend court hearings approximately once every three months and team meetings approximately once a month. CASAs are also required to complete at least 12 hours of in-service training per year.

Mission Statement

The Mission of Dubois County CASA is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Circuit Court System. Based on the belief that children are entitled to a safe and permanent home, CASA works in the court system through trained community volunteers, in collaboration with key agencies, legal counsel and community resources to serve as the child’s advocate and represent the child in juvenile court.  The CASA Program is an inclusive organization whose governing body members, employees, and volunteers reflect the diversity of the children they serve.

CASA Testimonials

"Being a CASA Volunteer has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I hope that by giving our children a voice, in some of the most difficult times in their lives , it shows them that we care, we listen and they matter." -April Foll - CASA

"
One of the most difficult things I have ever done is serve as a CASA but it is also one of the most rewarding. Children are our future and I hope by being their voice in difficult situations, they realize how important they are to us and life can be better for them and their family."  Kim Wampler - CASA

 

What is the process to become a volunteer?

1. Click on Apply Now below and complete the application. You will need the email addresses of 3 references who are not family.  It is a good idea to have those ready before starting the application.
2. Once your application is submitted, the Director will contact you to set up a personal interview.
3.  CASA training is partly completed on your own with a flash drive provided by the program and in-person meetings with CASA staff.  You will meet with staff for about 1 1/2 hours six times to complete your training.  The meetings with CASA staff will be arranged to fit your schedule.  Ideally the meetings will be weekly but a week or two can be skipped to accommodate schedules.
4. Once sworn in as an advocate, you will receive your first case and will have the support of your supervisor and other seasoned volunteers.
For more information call 812.639.0143

Apply Now

You can help provide funding for the program both now and in the future by making a tax-deductible gift to the Dubois County CASA endowment through the Dubois County Community Foundation.  
Please consider remembering the CASA endowment in your estate planning.  
Dubois-County-CASA-Endowment

Leadership Team

            Deena Hubler, Director                     adhubler@duboiscountyin.org                812.639.0143 
       Natosha Messmer, Supervisor          nbmessmer@duboiscountyin.org           812.631.2458
         Aubree Arvin, Supervisor                  aarvin@duboiscountyin.org                    812.639.4854
           
        
 

 Current Volunteers

Angie Anderson  Jacob Mundy Patty Oser
Kimberly Becher  Julie O'Brien April Foll
 Jill Tretter Tina Martin Michael Goepfrich
Cathy Stenftenagel  Sharon Meyer Amy Ruxer
Philip Mundy Duke Richardson Lori Wigand
 Kim Wampler Kaye Jerrell  Sally Gogel Fischer 
Clayton Boyles  Holly Vonderheit April Foll
Morgan Thewes Nicole Lampert Jason Piper
Cindy Stewart  Tonya Eckert Wanda Haas
Wendy Murray Kim Lampert-Tucker  Judy Jochem-Nino
Debbie Schmitt Bryan Heeke Katherine Songer 
Shawn Dooley  Ashley Fair  Angie Schuch
     
     
     

A History of Helping

The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA) was founded in 1984 to train volunteers to become court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in court cases. The nonprofit group, based in Seattle, has 940+ offices and more than 77,000 volunteers in every state but North Dakota (where child advocates are paid professionals).

In 1991, Judge Hugo (Chad) Songer initiated the Dubois County CASA program to advocate for children who had been abused or neglected. This was partially in response to state legislation which mandated a CASA for the most serious Children in Need of Services (CHINS) cases.

In 2005, the state law was changed to require a CASA for all CHINS cases, regardless of severity. The Dubois County CASA program, as it existed at the time, was not prepared to handle the increased caseload. John Siebert agreed to become Director of the CASA Program, where he spearheaded a strong effort to recruit additional CASA volunteers. The effort was largely successful and the Dubois County CASA program expanded to meet the needs of the county. In March of 2007, the Dubois County CASA Program was recognized by the State Office of CASA as a state-certified program in compliance of all standards.