What Is a CASA Volunteer and What Role Do They Play in Indiana Foster Care Adoption?

By: Grant Kirsh

If your family is involved in an Indiana foster care case, either as a foster parent working toward adoption, or as a family navigating the legal system alongside a child, you may have heard of a CASA volunteer. Understanding what a CASA is, what they do, and how they affect the adoption process can help you navigate the system more effectively.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we have been working in Indiana’s foster care and adoption system for nearly 40 years. We have handled nearly 3,000 foster care adoptions across the state, in courts in Marion County, Lake County, Allen County, Hamilton County, Tippecanoe County, St. Joseph County, Hendricks County, Elkhart County, Johnson County, Delaware County, Vanderburgh County, Porter County, Madison County, Vigo County, Monroe County, and beyond. Here is what you need to know about CASAs.

What Is a CASA?

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. A CASA volunteer is a trained community volunteer appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a child in a foster care or CHINS case. CASAs are not attorneys and they are not DCS employees, they are typically volunteers from the community who are trained to investigate a child’s situation and make independent recommendations to the court.

The CASA’s job is to advocate for what is best for the child, not for the biological parents, not for the foster family, not for DCS. Their sole focus is the child.

How Does a CASA Get Appointed?

A judge appoints a CASA at the beginning of a CHINS or foster care case. Not every case has a CASA, availability varies by county. Indiana has CASA programs in many counties across the state, including most of the larger counties. In counties where CASA volunteers are available, judges rely heavily on their recommendations.

What Does a CASA Do?

A CASA volunteer gets involved by reviewing court records, DCS files, and school and medical records related to the child. They visit the child in the foster home, talk to the child, talk to the foster family, and meet with teachers, counselors, and others who know the child. They also typically visit the biological family if reunification is still a goal.

After completing their investigation, the CASA submits a written report to the court and may testify at hearings. Their recommendations carry significant weight with judges because they represent an independent, child-focused perspective that is distinct from the positions of the other parties.

How Does the CASA Affect the Adoption Process?

In cases where the permanency plan changes to adoption, the CASA typically supports and advocates for the adoption if they believe it is in the child’s best interests. Their recommendation to the court can be an important factor in moving the adoption forward.

If you are a foster family hoping to adopt the child in your care, building a positive relationship with the CASA, by being transparent, welcoming their visits, and demonstrating your commitment to the child, is genuinely valuable.

What If You Disagree With the CASA’s Recommendation?

This can happen. CASAs are human and their recommendations are not always what foster families or other parties hope for. If you disagree with a CASA’s recommendation, you can address the issue appropriately in court with foster parent court reports. A CASA’s recommendation is influential, but it is not the final word. The judge makes the ultimate decision.

We Know Indiana’s Foster Care Courts

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we know the courts, the judges, and the CASA programs across Indiana. We bring that knowledge to every family we serve.

Call us at 317-575-5555. Visit us at DCSAdoptions.com.

About the Author
Grant Kirsh is a second-generation adoption attorney and owner of Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., a family law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana that has been serving Indiana families since 1981. Grant graduated from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2013 and has personally handled nearly 3,000 foster care adoptions and his law firm has handled over 5,000 private newborn adoptions. He practices all forms of domestic adoption, with a deep personal commitment to expectant mothers considering adoption in Indiana and Indiana’s foster care system and the families and children it serves.