Susan Gunther, Director of the Liberty Partnership program at Damon City Campus, has been a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer for two years. The CASA program (which is national) is a non-profit organization whose volunteers are trained to advocate for children placed in foster care. The advocate is appointed by family court to serve as an independent advocate for the child(ren) on the assigned case. The primary responsibility of the advocate is to ensure that the best interests of the child are served. This is done by gathering information (for the judge assigned to the case) from biological parents, relatives, foster parents, school personnel, physicians, counselors, and others having knowledge relevant to the child’s situation. This information is reported to the court and all parties to the case.
In addition to advocating for the best interests of the child, Susan's role involves facilitating a good working relationship between all parties involved and monitoring and coordinating court-ordered actions. Susan offers children an additional voice in court, advocating for a safe, permanent home as soon as possible.
If you'd like to get involved: here's the contact information:
Laurie Holmes, Director
CASA
Family Court of the State of New York
Hall of Justice, Room 332
Rochester, NY 14614
585-428-5297
Barbara Connolly
Academic Services - DCC
04/19/2006 |