Court -Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Kendall County work on behalf of the county’s juvenile court system to gather information and make recommendations to help the judge act in a child’s best interests. The organization is in need of more volunteers. (Photo: CASA Kendall County)

Chronicle Media

Training for new Kendall County CASA advocates will be held Tuesdays and Thursday nights from Feb. 2 through March 3.

The trainings will be from 4:30 to -7:30 p.m. at the Kendall County Health Department, 811 W John Street, Yorkville. Dinners will be provided.

To become a CASA, you will first be interviewed and after being accepted you will undertake 35 hours of training and three hours of court observation.

Two training sessions are held annually, one in the spring and one in the fall. Once trained, volunteer advocates are assigned to monitor a child’s case through its duration.

Advocates are asked to make an 18-month commitment to the program but staying with the case until it closes is ideal. Many times the CASA is the only constant in the child’s life during this traumatic time.

As a CASA volunteer, you will form a unique relationship with your assigned child and will become the best equipped person in your child’s life to know what your child needs.

You will review records, research information as well as talk to the foster parents, caseworkers and others involved in all aspects of the child’s life. It is also very important to appear in court on the scheduled court dates.

Utilizing the information captured, the advocate then writes a report and submits it for the judge’s review. The judge uses the report to help her or him make decisions about the child’s placement and treatment needs.  

For more information, call (630) 553-8660 or email jgilbert@co.kendall.il.us with any questions.

–Kendall County CASA to hold advocate training-