Northern Essex CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program - Family Services of the Merrimack Valley
- To Volunteer, Contact:
-
Location:
430 North Canal StreetLawrence, MA 01840
- Phone: 978-327-6615
- Website: https://www.fsmv.org/home/volunteer/
- Email: info@fsmv.org
The Northern Essex County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program, administered by Family Services of the Merrimack Valley recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in the Lawrence Juvenile and Newburyport District Courts.
Volunteers are appointed to only one case at a time. All volunteers receive in-depth pre-service training and significant ongoing support from the CASA staff. There are no professional qualifications to become a volunteer, only the personal traits that facilitate effective and compassionate advocacy for child victims.
CASA Advocates are ordinary people with a variety of background and experiences. No special academic or legal background is required. However, CASA Advocates must be willing to make a two-year commitment to the program and to participate in 40 hours of training. The CASA Program seeks individuals who are objective, trustworthy, responsible and open to the ideas and cultures of others. All applications for Advocate service are carefully considered.
- County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Essex
- Area of law: Family & Juvenile
- Populations Served: Children, Juveniles
- Opportunities For: Law Students, Lawyers, Senior Lawyers
- Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: No
- Training Provided: Yes
- Training Required: Yes
- CLE credit for trainings: No
- Training / Supervision Comments: 40 hours of training is required and provided.
- CLE credit for pro bono: No
- Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
- Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: Yes
- Other Case Load Requirements: 2 year commitment
- Other Project Types: Guardian Ad Litem, Investigate
- Volunteers may participate long-distance: No
