Advocacy - Roanoke, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Children's Trust
Trains and supervises volunteer advocates, who are available for assignment by judges in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts in the 23rd Judicial District. Assignments are made by judges during legal proceedings to determine a child's permanent home placement, once abuse and neglect have been determined. Once appointed, CASA volunteers conduct investigations involving fact-finding interviews with the child and the child's family, social workers with the Department of Social Services, mental health service providers, school staff, or other professionals that are involved in the child's case. The investigation also involves observation of the child in his or her environment. CASA volunteers are part of an interdisciplinary coordination to recommend a plan of action to the judge. Recommendations are made regarding services that would benefit the child and the family, and with whom the child should live. CASA volunteers prepare reports in writing for the judge, and are regularly called to testify in court proceedings regarding their recommendations. CASA volunteers submit written reports to the courts at disposition and then at each subsequent hearing. The courts circulate CASA reports to all parties in the case. CASA volunteer duties and responsibilities are defined by Virginia Statute 6VAC20-1600-60.
Physical Address
4519 Brambleton Avenue, Cave Spring, VA 24018
Voice
Fax
(540) 344-3520
Website
Application process
Contact the office. Referrals from professional sources such as law enforcement, the Department of Social Services, etc.
Service area
Roanoke, VA Salem, VA Craig, VA Roanoke, VA
Agency info
Children's Trust
Children's Trust combines needed public education outreach, effective advocacy, and a strong network of support for children and families and is dedicated to coordinating services that will improve the community by promoting awareness about child abuse, providing family support through education, providing a child-friendly environment for the investigation of abuse, and advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. Children's Trust operates five programs: Children's Advocacy Centers located in Roanoke, New River Valley, Carroll County and Bedford County. No individual, agency or discipline has all of the answers for the complex questions that arise once a child has been abused or neglected. The Children's Advocacy Center, a program of Children's Trust, is a child focused, community based created to ensure that children are not re-victimized by the very same system designed to protect them. The Children's Advocacy Center is a single program and facility that unites the people and services a child needs during the investigative process. Our goal is to reduce the emotional trauma to children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. When families arrive at the CAC, they will enter a cozy, child-friendly waiting room. The child and family will be given a brief tour of the facility by the Family Advocate. A forensic interview will be conducted by a Forensic Interviewer who has completed extensive training in how to talk to children about allegations of abuse; who has conducted many child interviews and has been able to gain feedback and suggestions from other professionals in the filed of child abuse and neglect, and who will have access to Law Enforcement and Child Protective Services during the interview. The CAC staff will work with a multi-disciplinary team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health, the Commonwealth Attorney's office, child protective services, victim advocacy, and other professionals who make decisions together about how to help the child based on the interview. Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) trains and supervises volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in foster care, ensuring they have safe, permanent homes. Court-appointed volunteers get to know the child by talking with everyone in that child's life: parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers, and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them. Healthy Families is a national home-based, evidence-based, family support and coaching program that supports parents and helps them create stable, nurturing environments for their children. The program matches parents with trained professionals who visit families' homes to provide support during pregnancy and the child's first three years of life. Home visitors teach parents about proper baby care, promote nurturing and attachment, practice effective parenting skills, and ensure parents have a solid understanding of healthy child development. They also counsel parents on achieving personal goals such as going back to school or securing a job. Children First offers child abuse prevention classes to children in schools (Speak Up Be Safe) and training for adults who work with children (Stewards of Children). Trauma Informed Community Network (TICN) seeks to educate the Roanoke Valley about trauma, Trauma-Informed Care, and Resiliency. TICN connects organizations in all sectors with resources, training, and techniques for implementing trauma-informed systems to help everyone thrive. The Roanoke Valley TICN is anchored by Children's Trust, which has committed to be the backbone agency, and now includes 20+ organizations.