About Advocate for Children in Foster Care

CASA trains volunteers as Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in the foster care system. Volunteers are appointed by the judge to a child or sibling group in the foster care system to advocate for their best interest for the duration of the court case (averaging 12-18 months). Advocates visit their assigned youth every 7-10 days, attend case related meetings, submit a Court Report to the judge/involved parties, and attend quarterly hearings. To become a volunteer, individuals must pass criminal background checks as well as a DHS clearance. Following an interview, prospective volunteers go through 30 hours of classroom training and 10 hours of court room observation prior to being assigned a case. Volunteers must be able to commit to the duration of a case to become an advocate.

Application Process

ALL MSU VOLUNTEERS SERVING YOUTH PROGRAMS must complete an MSU Background Check before becoming involved. Find the form here: http://tinyurl.com/plkf4xl

Return the completed form to K.C. Keyton of the MSU Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement via…
Scan and e-mail: [email protected]
or Fax: 517.353.6663
or Mail / Drop Off:
556 East Circle Drive, Suite 345
Student Services Building
East Lansing, MI 48824

All other volunteers, please contact [email protected] directly.