North Iowa CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)

Last updated on November 18, 2008

The mission of the North Iowa CASA program is to commission trained community volunteers to serve as an effective voice in court for abused and neglected children, strengthening efforts to ensure that each child is living in a safe, permanent and nurturing home.

Description:
Children who are assigned a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) range in age from 0 – 17 years and have been determined by the Juvenile Court to be Children in Need of Assistance. The most difficult cases, requiring additional information for the Juvenile Judge to make sound decisions for the best interests of the child, are referred to the CASA program for volunteer advocacy services. CASA volunteers are assigned only one, or possibly two, cases at a time, thus allowing them to thoroughly assess and monitor the child’s situation, ultimately reporting their findings and recommendations to the Court. The North Iowa CASA program operates in Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth counties.

History:
The CASA program in Iowa has been in existence since 1986 and in North Iowa since 1996. CASA is a part of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board, a state agency within the Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA). The North Iowa CASA program is a public/private partnership and a United Way of North Central Iowa partner agency. A 501(c) Foundation, Friends of Iowa CASA and FCRB, oversees contributions.
Suzan McKiness has been the coordinator of the North Iowa CASA program since 1996.

Contact person: Suzan McKiness, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (641) 421-3134

Address:

220 North Washington
Mason City, Iowa, IA 50401
(See a map)

Web Site: http://northiowacasa.com

Directions:

The North Iowa CASA program is located on the 3rd Floor of the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse.

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