New group of volunteer court-appointed advocates sworn in virtually

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Local children in foster care now have 14 more CASA volunteers advocating for them. The community volunteers were the first class of Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA volunteers, who due to COVID, were trained through distance learning and sworn in remotely by Judge Bethany Flint.

All CASA volunteers complete a thorough training process that includes a background check, more than 40 hours of training and an interview with a judge before being sworn in as an officer of the court and assigned a child or sibling group. Once assigned, the advocate becomes the voice for the child’s best interest in court.

CASA predicts that over 500 local children will spend time in foster care this year due to abuse and neglect. In 2019, more than 430 children spent time in foster care in Central Oregon. More than 360 of these children had a CASA volunteer.

CASA of Central Oregon hopes to recruit, train and support enough volunteers so that every child can have an advocate.

“All children deserve an advocate,” said App. “We’ve seen a recent increase of abused and neglected children coming into foster care, and we need more volunteers to advocate for them. It’s so easy for children to get lost in the system, but a CASA volunteer makes sure that doesn’t happen.”

Taryn Sharp recently completed Central Oregon’s first online CASA volunteer training.

“The training is excellent,” said Sharp. “You just get on your laptop and go. I am looking forward to creating a relationship with the child I advocate for, and the fulfillment knowing I am helping them during a challenging time in their life.”

CASA of Central Oregon trains and supports volunteers to serve children in foster care in Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties.  CASA volunteers are adults from many different backgrounds who are dedicated to advocating for abused and neglected children.  

CASA of Central Oregon is still seeking volunteers to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA volunteers) for neglected and abused children. The next training will be held entirely online at 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, from June 23 through August 11.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a CASA, additional information is at www.CasaOfCentralOregon.org/volunteer, or by contacting info@casaofcentraloregon.org or call 541-389-1618.