FULTON COUNTY COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES INC
395 PRYOR STREET SW 4116, ATLANTA, GA 30312 www.fultoncountycasa.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc.'s mission: To educate the community and to recruit, train and supervise court appointed volunteers to advocate for the best interest, safety and permanent placement of abused and neglected children in foster care.

CASA operated the following programs for fiscal year ended June 30, 2019:Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Advocacy(i)Education Advocacy is an initiative by the Fulton CASA Program to ensure the specialized education needs of children in foster care are properly addressed. Advocates are trained to identify and address impediments to education such as learning disabilities, misdiagnosis, and other special needs. Advocates are trained in the Federal Laws impacting childrens educational needs and services. Advocates participate in educational meetings and court hearings advocating for the needs necessary to produce the best outcomes for children. (ii)Fostering Futures is a curriculum developed by the National CASA Association and designed to give Advocates a solid base of knowledge and skills to advocate on behalf of youths between the ages of 12 and 17. The Advocate training provides an in-depth exploration of topics such as relationship building with older youths, the possible selves concept, and working with youths as partners in transition and independent living planning. This type of Advocate training has and continues to be effective in supporting youths that age out of the foster care system. (iii)The Family Dependency Treatment Court is a collaborative effort of the Fulton County Juvenile Court, Division of Family and Children Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Parent Attorney, the Child Attorney, Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and numerous treatment providers. The participants are required to attend court weekly and are subject to intensive supervision with input from a multidisciplinary team of professionals led by the judge. The team works together to treat the parents disease of substance abuse while addressing resulting parenting deficit. This intervention model has resulted in the preservation or reunification of families and enhanced permanency in the lives of children while effectively addressing the underlying disease of chemical dependency of the parents. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) RecruitmentVolunteer Recruitment is essential for the ongoing viability of Fulton County CASA. Recruiting efforts require analysis of previous recruitment activities, as well as current recruitment needs of the organization. Recruiting is a combined effort of Board members, the leadership team, staff, advocates, and other Fulton CASA stakeholders. In recruiting, emphasis is placed on building partnerships within the community and with decision makers who have access to potential Advocates. Building a rapport with potential Advocates ensures we are recruiting those most likely to possess the skills, interest and availability required to successfully carry out the duties of a CASA. An integrated recruitment plan is essential to ensuring consistent messages throughout all outreach channels.Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Training(i)Pre-Service Training is a curriculum developed at the National level designed to prepare Advocate trainees from all education and experience levels to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children. The curriculum, taught in no less than 40 hours, includes 8 hours court observation. The curriculum teaches everything from education advocacy, and family strengths to cultural competencies and working with older youth. Each aspect of the training curriculum ensures a volunteer is equipped to manage their investigation and report preparation after being sworn in as an advocate.(ii)In-Service Training is a curriculum offered monthly to develop and enhance the advocacy aptitude of Advocates. Advocates are required to attend no less than 12 hours of In-Service Training each year after their first year of service. Topics vary and are selected by needs assessed by Program Staff and Staff Attorney

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201943509349300919_public.xml