CASA, DCFS Partner in Recruitment Campaign for Volunteers, Foster Parents

UPDATE, Sept. 4, 2018:  The Sept. 6 meeting in Franklinton has been canceled due to inclement weather. The meeting will be rescheduled for a later date.

BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) are partnering in a recruitment campaign for CASA volunteers and foster parents.

CASA and DCFS will hold a series of meetings across the state over the next seven weeks to provide information to interested individuals and families about the important roles that child advocates and foster parents play in ensuring the safety and well-being of the state's children. Representatives from CASA and DCFS will highlight the need for more volunteers and families in each region of the state and discuss how residents can get involved.

A list of meeting dates and locations can be found at the bottom of this release. Each meeting will last approximately an hour and will include presentations from CASA and DCFS representatives, followed by a question and answer period. Registration is not required to attend.

CASA volunteers are specially trained and supervised judicial appointees who advocate for the best interests of a child in foster care. Desired qualities in a CASA volunteer include commitment, tenacity, a willingness to learn the child welfare system and to fight for what is in the child's best interest.

Foster parents open their hearts and homes to children in the state's foster care system, providing a stable and nurturing environment for a child while working with DCFS and the child's family toward reunification, where appropriate. Desired qualities in foster parents include flexibility, generosity, respect for the dignity of a family and the willingness to care for a child as long as the child may need them.

Residents who are interested in finding out more should plan to attend one of the following meetings: