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| Program Management: Diversity | |||||
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National CASA's Policy on Diversification |
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| Document Author: National CASA Association Date Posted: 6/06 |
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| It is the goal of the National CASA Association to have CASA/GAL
volunteers serving over 300,000 abused and neglected children by
2008. In order for CASA/GAL volunteers to represent the best interests of
children in juvenile and family court proceedings, they must be cognizant
of and sensitive to the child's frame of reference, including his/her
heritage, culture, ethnicity, religion, and family structure. Volunteers
must also be able to communicate sensitively with the child and his/her
family and in turn communicate the child's needs to the court. Because we live in a multicultural society, an inclusive CASA/GAL network must also be multicultural. Each CASA/GAL program must strive to achieve a volunteer base that reflects children in the judicial and child welfare systems as well as its community. Volunteer service must be made more accessible to all individuals regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic situation, or disability. Cultural awareness and competency must be an integral component of all training for board, staff, and volunteers. As a diverse organization CASA/GAL can better represent and advocate for the children we serve and have a far greater impact on the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Therefore, it is the objective of NCASAA to achieve diversity of the CASA/GAL network in its policies, board and staff composition, committee activities, management plan, publications, resource materials, speakers bureau, and in its training and technical assistance activities.
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