Policy Manual
It is important to develop a written manual for use by your board, staff, and volunteers which establishes the framework for the operations of your program. A policy manual does not have to be complete and exhaustive in the beginning. It should be a working document that evolves as your program grows and develops. Some issues which should be covered include:

• Mission Statement
• Goals of the Program
• Charter and/or Bylaws
• Listing of Board of Directors
• Program Structure
• Statement of Understanding with the Court
• Statement of Understanding with Other Agencies
• Job Descriptions for Board Members, Staff, and Volunteers
• National CASA's Code of Ethics
• Standards for National CASA Association Member Programs
• State or Local Program Standards
• Procedure for Handling Complaints or Grievances

Many of these issues have been addressed in earlier discussions in this manual to which you can refer. Several items which have not been previously addressed but deserve consideration follow.

Statement of Understanding with the Court
Regardless of the administrative structure selected, the CASA program is designed to serve the court. The judge appoints volunteers to specific cases, and expects certain duties to be performed as a part of that appointment. It would be too time consuming for the judge to spell out all duties in each appointment individually, so a general statement of understanding between the CASA program and the court can be developed. This statement of understanding covers routine policies, and can take the form of a letter of agreement. It should include topics such as:

• Type and number of cases the program agrees to accept (It is often unrealistic to expect a new CASA program to take on all dependency cases when it first opens its doors; you need to determine what your parameters are, and what the program can realistically accomplish)
• Role of the CASA volunteer in court proceedings;
• Duration of the appointment;
• Minimum qualifications and the screening process of the volunteers accepted into the program
• Confidentiality requirements;
• Ability of the court to dismiss a volunteer from a case for failure to perform duties in timely manner, breach of confidentiality, or violation of court order;
• Lines of communication between the program and the court (i.e. the judge appoints the program, the program appoints the volunteer); and
• The availability and accessibility of the program director to the judge and vice versa.

CASA and Social Services
The working relationship between the CASA program and the state's department of social services should also be clarified and may need to be formalized in a letter of agreement. Issues covered in this agreement include:

• The process a volunteer uses to request information on the case;
• The distribution of the caseworker's report to the court and the CASA volunteer's report to the court;
• Confidentiality requirements;
• Sharing of information between caseworker & volunteer;
• Lines of communication between the program and agency; and
• The process for handling complaints or concerns.

The relationship between the CASA volunteer and caseworker must be one of mutual respect if it is to be successful. Even if there's disagreement in terms of the recommendations or plans for a particular child, each other's role and position should remain respected. The caseworker's job is different from that of the CASA volunteer, and the tools and techniques to do those jobs will also differ.

Procedure for Handling Complaints and Grievances
Because CASA is involved in work that involves literally the future of the lives of children and families, it is emotionally charged work that evokes a wide range of feelings. It is therefore common and expected that there will be criticism from many of the players involved, especially when the CASA does not make recommendations that are in agreement with their point of view. "Criticism goes with the territory," and in fact, if volunteers are doing their jobs well, there will usually be someone angry with them.

Volunteers should be trained to expect this and given support in learning how to deal with it. One supportive technique is having in place a written procedure for handling complaints when they arise.

Complaints can come from many places, including: parents or other parties in a case, social workers, other agencies, attorneys, or people in the community. They can also be directed at various people, including: a volunteer, staff person, or board member.

Your procedure should address: what constitutes a formal complaint (must it be in writing, etc.); with whom should the complaint be filed; when can complaints be handled by staff and when should they be handled by the board; when the board is involved, should it be the whole board, a committee, or one individual. You will not be able to cover every possible situation in any procedure, so it is probably wise to provide short, general guidelines.

Knowing in advance how such problems will be handled will help to alleviate the anxiety and discomfort that naturally accompanies these situations. Most complaints are not serious and should not be threatening to those involved. However, because of the sensitive nature of CASA's work, all complaints are cause for concern and should be given consideration.

Volunteer Policies and Procedures
Either as a part of the program's policy manual or as a separate volunteer handbook, policies and procedures detailing all aspects of volunteer management should be spelled out. Every volunteer has the right to know what is expected and what he/she has the right to expect in return. The volunteer policies should include:

• Job description detailing duties, qualifications, and expectations
  
• Oath of Confidentiality
  
• Requirements for pre-service and in-service training
  
• Volunteer application
  
• Permission/release form for obtaining criminal and employment history
  
• Reference forms or letters
  
• National CASA's Code of Ethics
  
• National CASA's Program Standards
  
• Court order/appointment form
  
• Case procedures
  How assignments are made
  Flow of cases
  Record keeping expectations
  
• Court report format/outline
  
• What the volunteer can expect
  Supervision
  Evaluation
  Support
  Training
  
• Reimbursement of some or any expenses
  Procedure for handling complaints or grievances
  Requirements for keeping and reporting volunteer hours

You will no doubt think of other issues that should be contained in your program's policies and procedures. Again, as in all aspects of program planning, the more preparation and attention to detail you expend in the early phases, the fewer problems will arise down the road.