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CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS!
“By Court Order, these documents are
confidential. If you copy, distribute or disclose
these records, you may be subject to contempt of
court.”
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES
OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
813 Freedom Blvd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
Telephone:
(831) 761-2956
Fax (831) 761-2913
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SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
JUVENILE COURT
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In the Matter of: Child’s name
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Age:
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NO.
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CASA REPORT AND
RECOMMENDATION
CASE NUMBER
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REPORTING ADVOCATE: Advocate Name
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TOTAL HOURS ON THE CASE: ALL YOUR HOURS TO DATE ON CASE
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PERSONS CONTACTED:
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LIST ALL PERSON INTERVIEWED SINCE THE LAST REPORT (DO NOT USE THE NAMES OF
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TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, OR FOSTER PARENTS)
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Example:
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Sam Jones, Social Worker
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Teacher
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Foster Parents
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A Minor
DATE:
TIME:
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INTRODUCTION
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(Written in first person.)
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Brief general statement about the case, including: date you became the advocate for this
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child, the detention date, why this child became a dependent of the Court, i.e. what kind of
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abuse/neglect was involved and who was responsible, how long this child has been in placement
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and how many placements.
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A description of the child, including: physical, personality, strengths, and interests. A brief
description of what you and the child do on your visits.
Example:
Johnny became a Dependent of the Court on 9/6/01, when his mother left him at the Santa
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Cruz police station because she was unable to care for him. Since then, Johnny has changed
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foster homes 10 times in the last 12 months. I was appointed Johnny’s CASA in April, 2002. We
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have spent our visits going to the park, swimming, and talking together over ice cream.
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Johnny is small for his age but very active and full of energy. He loves to ride his bike, and to
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run and play. Also, he is a bright and sensitive 5-year old boy who is deeply distressed by the
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number of changes in his life.
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CURRENT STATUS
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Subjects to including in this section (keep the headings in the report):
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School (Progress, SST, IEP, 504 plans, tutoring, etc. If you hold education rights attach form JV537)
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Extra Curricular Activities (sports, after school classes & activities)
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Relationships (Relationships with siblings, parents, extended & peers, etc.)
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Visitations (Quantity and quality for siblings and parents)
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Therapy & Medical Needs (Physical & emotional needs and current status)
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Placement (Behavior in foster care, etc.)
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Permanency (Long term plan as determined by the social worker: FR, FM, Adoption,
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Guardianship, Long term foster care. Efforts noted by the social worker to establish Permanency
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include: family therapy, TDM, increased visitations, family search)
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Be sure to give specific examples that answer the question “HOW DO YOU KNOW”?
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Give examples of what you have personally observed.
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Example: “On our visits to the park, I have seen Johnny interact appropriately with other
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children. He likes playing with other children and takes turns on the playground and shares his
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toys.”
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Quote others - name your source (SW reports, teacher told me, etc).
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Example: Foster Parent says, “that Johnny fitting well into the foster home and likes to help
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with cooking dinner.” Johnny’s 4th grade teacher said, “Johnny was two years behind grade level
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at the beginning of the school year but with tutoring, he is beginning to catch up”.
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ASSESSMENT
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Give your opinions based on the observations above. Are the child’s needs being met? What
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is going well? What are the areas for improvement/concern? What can be done to improve the
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situation? Are there concurrent planning issues that should be addressed?
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Example: “Johnny is having a difficult time being away from his mother. Johnny would like
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to be able to spend more time with his mom and Mom appears to be ready to increase her visits
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with Johnny to include overnight and weekend”.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
A list of recommendations for meeting each need of the child listed above. These should be
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short concrete recommendations for action that is based on your assessment. (Jurisdiction should
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be addressed here – dismiss? Continue?)
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Example:
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Therefore, I respectfully recommend:
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1. Johnny remain in his current foster care placement;
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2. Visitation with Mom be increased to overnights and weekends;
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3. Johnny continues therapy.
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By _______________________ Date _____________
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YOUR NAME
Court Appointed Special Advocate
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APPROVED:
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________________________
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SUPERVISOR’S NAME
CASA Advocate Supervisor