How to become a CASA volunteer in Georgia.

What a CASA actually does

A Court Appointed Special Advocate is written into Georgia law: under O.C.G.A. § 15-11-106, a juvenile court judge may appoint a CASA at the earliest possible stage of a dependency case to advocate for the child's best interests. Before serving, a CASA must complete their local program's requirements and be sworn in by a juvenile court judge — this is a court role with an oath, not a mentoring gig with a lanyard. Verified Jul 3, 2026

In practice, that means getting to know one child and everyone in that child's orbit — caregivers, teachers, therapists, case managers — and giving the judge an independent, factual picture of what's really going on and what the child needs. The judge reads what you write. CASAs work alongside (and are distinct from) the attorney guardian ad litem; our CASA-vs-GAL explainer untangles who does what in the courtroom. Georgia CASA is the state organization in the National CASA/GAL Association network, and its training satisfies Georgia's guardian ad litem training requirements, which the Office of the Child Advocate administers and approves. Verified Jul 3, 2026

One thing this role is not: a rescue mission. The child at the center of the case is a whole person with a family, a history, and their own voice — not a project. A good CASA's superpower is unglamorous: showing up, month after month, and telling the court the truth.

The honest commitment

This is the part to read twice before you apply. Statewide, Georgia CASA describes an average of six to ten hours per month on a regular case, and case commitments typically run one to two years — dependency cases move at the court's speed, not yours, and the whole value of a CASA is being the constant while caseworkers and placements change. Verified Jul 3, 2026

Each of Georgia's local affiliates sets its own expectations on top of that. Cobb County's court-run program asks for roughly 15 hours a month and an 18-month-plus commitment; DeKalb asks for 10+ hours a month. Verified Jul 3, 2026 Most programs assign one case (one child or sibling group) at a time — ask your local program how they handle caseloads. Verified Jul 3, 2026

Requirements

The bar is deliberately real, because the access is real — you'll be in a child's life and in their court file.

• Age: at least 21 statewide; affiliates may set stricter minimums — DeKalb requires volunteers to be at least 24. Verified Jul 3, 2026
• Background checks: criminal history including an FBI fingerprint check, plus sex offender registry, child abuse registry, and local checks. Verified Jul 3, 2026
• Training: at least 30 hours of pre-service training plus court observation (often 10 hours); some programs run longer — a few up to 40 hours. Verified Jul 3, 2026
• Cost: programs provide the training and materials — ask your local program to confirm there's no cost. Verified Jul 3, 2026

No legal or social-work background is required. Programs train you for the parts that need training; what they can't train is steadiness, which is the part you bring.

The application path, step by step

1. Apply to your local affiliate

   CASA is delivered locally — you apply where you live, not to the state office. Start at gacasa.org/become-a-volunteer or jump to the finder below. Verified Jul 3, 2026

2. Interview + references

   An in-person interview with program staff, with references — typically around four. Verified Jul 3, 2026

3. Background check

   The full screen described above, FBI fingerprints included. Verified Jul 3, 2026

4. Pre-service training

   30+ hours of classroom/online training plus court observation, on your local program's schedule. Verified Jul 3, 2026

5. Sworn in by a judge

   You take an oath before a juvenile court judge, per § 15-11-106 — then you're assigned a case. Verified Jul 3, 2026

Curious what the courtroom you'd be walking into actually looks like? Our dependency court guide walks through a case hearing by hearing.

Find your local program

Georgia has 47 CASA affiliates covering all 159 counties. The official finder is gacasa.org/directory-search (search by county), and the state office can route you by phone at 404-874-2888 or 800-251-4012. Verified Jul 3, 2026 For a head start, here are the metro-area programs we spot-checked directly:

Affiliate details spot-checked against gacasa.org program pages and each program's own site on July 3, 2026. Outside these counties, use the directory — every Georgia county is covered by one of the 47 affiliates.

Sources & verification

• Georgia CASA — Become a Volunteer (application flow: interview, references, background check, 30+ hours training, swearing-in)gacasa.org Jul 3, 2026
• Georgia CASA — Get Involved (six to ten hours per month average; commitment length set by each affiliate, typically one to two years)gacasa.org Jul 3, 2026
• Georgia CASA — affiliate directory search (47 affiliates, all 159 counties) and program listing; statewide office 404-874-2888 / 800-251-4012gacasa.org Jul 3, 2026
• O.C.G.A. § 15-11-106 — Participation of a CASA: judicial appointment at the earliest possible stage, program requirements, swearing-in before serving, best-interests advocacylaw.justia.com Jul 3, 2026
• Office of the Child Advocate — CASA/GAL training (OCA administers and approves GAL training; Georgia CASA training satisfies it); DFCS side lives in PAMMS §17.10oca.georgia.gov Jul 3, 2026
• Affiliate pages spot-checked for local variation — Cobb County (~15 hrs/month, 18+ months), DeKalb CASA (10+ hrs/month, age 24+), Central Georgia CASA (10 hours court observation)cobbcounty.gov Jul 3, 2026

Hour expectations, age minimums, and training schedules are set by each local affiliate and do change — treat this page as the map and your local program as the authority. If today is past our verified date, confirm current details with your affiliate or Georgia CASA before planning around them, and tell us if something's shifted.