More than 200 children are in foster care in Coos County and the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program of Coos County is seeking qualified volunteers to speak up for these children in court.

CASA volunteers are people from the community who care deeply about children. After being trained and sworn in by the court, the CASA is appointed by the judge to advocate for an abused or neglected child. The volunteer provides the child with a voice during complex legal proceedings, investigates the child's circumstances and makes recommendations to the court about what is in the child's best interests. CASA volunteers make sure that the abuse and neglect that the children originally suffered at home doesn't continue as abuse and neglect at the hands of the system.

In 1977, a Seattle judge, concerned about making decisions about abused and neglected children's lives without sufficient information, conceived of the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court, helping to ensure that they will live in a safe and loving environment. So successful was this Seattle program, that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In Coos County, the program is under the umbrella of Southwestern Oregon Community Action and is funded through the Commission on Children and Families, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, the Coquille Indian Tribe and community donations.

In Coos County, only about half of the children who need a CASA are served by the program, but Coos CASA program is working hard to increase the number of CASA volunteers. Right now, CASA is actively recruiting new volunteers to participate in its upcoming training.

To volunteer in Coos County, applicants must be able to attend 30 hours of training. Applicants will be screened through interviews and reference checks. The program is currently accepting applications and conducting interviews for a training which will take place in March. Applications need to be returned by Feb. 18.

For more information on being CASA supporters or volunteers or to request applications, those interested can call CASA of Coos County at 396-1074.