20-Point Case Practice Protocol

The Essex County CASA program trains community volunteers to work with credentialed Case Supervisors to provide the following direct, court-related advocacy services to abused, neglected and abandoned children in out-of-home placement in Essex County. All CASA advocacy services are provided free of charge to this client population. For each CASA child, service objectives cover the following activities:

Interview and maintain contact with the foster child to monitor their progress in placement. CASA volunteers visit the child in the foster home a minimum of once a month.
Interview and maintain regular contact with foster parents to continuously assess the quality of the placement and whether it is appropriately meeting the child’s needs.
Review DYFS case records on the child and family to develop an understanding of the family and individual child history.
Establish and maintain contact with the DYFS Case Manager. Share information and concerns about the child/family with the DYFS worker on an on-going basis.
Locate, interview and maintain periodic contact with birth parents to assess their ability and interest in providing a safe home for the child. Obtain personal histories on the birth parents. Observe one or more visitations between the parents and the child(ren).
Interview and maintain contact with available relatives to assess their ability and interest as placement resources for the child(ren). Request DYFS to initiate background checks as appropriate.
Locate and interview lost relatives.
Monitor the progress of birth parents toward reunification when this is the appropriate permanency goal for the child(ren). Document progress in problem resolution such as drug treatment, obtaining housing and counseling for specific case-related issues.
Obtain and review medical and/or hospital records as appropriate. Interview and maintain contact with medical professionals.
Obtain and review psychiatric/psychological records as appropriate. Interview and maintain contact with mental health professionals.
Obtain and review appropriate school records. Interview and maintain contact with teachers, counselors, the Child Study Team and other educational professionals.
Interview and maintain contact with any day care professionals providing services to the child.
Obtain and review records and interview personnel of any other agency which has been involved with the child(ren), parents or other parties in the case, where appropriate.
Identify the child’s needs and appropriate services to meet these needs.
Advocate on behalf of the child in Court, in the child protective system and in the Child Placement Review system through written reports and in-person testimony. Typically there are three to four reports written and three to four hearings that must be attended within the first 15 months of a foster child’s family court case.
Assist the child victim and foster family to obtain medical and other benefits to which they are entitled.
Provide an accountability check on DYFS delivery of services.
Formulate recommendations to guide the Court and DYFS regarding custody of the child, placement, visitation, service needs and permanency.
Coordinate the flow of case information to all appropriate interested parties, supplying accurate and timely information.
Facilitate the solution of problems inhibiting the delivery of services or the time progress of the case from the Court’s first notification of out-of-home placement by DYFS until the final permanency goal has been achieved.