CASA Questions to Ask
For Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers getting ready for visits and a court report. The questions are grouped by who you are asking: the child, the foster parents or other caregivers, the caseworker, teachers and health providers, and the birth parents, ending with the ones to put to yourself and your supervisor before you write. Each has a note on what a reassuring or a worrying answer sounds like, or what to do with it; rules differ by state, court and program, so check anything that matters with your own supervisor.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The Child
Do you know who I am and why I come to see you?
Why ask it
A child in care meets a lot of adults with folders, so check what they think your job is before you ask anything else. 'You tell the judge about me' is close enough. If they believe you decide where they live, correct it kindly, and ask your program for wording that suits the child's age.
What do you like to do when you get to pick, and is there anything you used to do that stopped when you moved?
Why ask it
On a first visit, start here and not with the case, and bring the answer back next time so the child knows you listened. The second half is where a team, a choir, a church group or afternoons at a best friend's house come out. Take that list to the caseworker, because who can sign a child in care up for an activity depends on where you are.
Can you walk me through yesterday, from waking up to going to bed?
Why ask it
One whole day turns up meals, who gets them up, who is home after school and where they sleep, without a single pointed question. Ordinary, slightly boring detail is what you hope for. A stretch of the day the child skips or goes vague about is where to look more closely at the next visit.
What is the best part of living here, and what is the hardest part?
Why ask it
Good signs are specific and small: the dog, a show after dinner, a bedtime they complain about. Take note if a child cannot name one good thing, or glances at the caregiver before answering, and arrange the next visit somewhere the two of you can talk out of earshot.
Who do you go to when you are sad, scared or hurt?
Why ask it
Any name is reassuring, because it means the feeling has somewhere to go. 'Nobody' or 'I just go to my room' goes into your notes in the child's own words. Later, ask the caregiver who they think the child turns to, and see whether the two answers match.
Is there anything you need right now that you do not have?
Why ask it
Children tend to answer with small things: shoes that fit, a phone charger, their own shampoo, a ride to practice. Pass it to the caseworker the same week and tell the child what happened. A need that gets met is how a child learns that telling you things is worth it.
What happens in this house when someone breaks a rule?
Why ask it
Asking about the house in general is easier to answer than asking how the child is punished. Lost screen time or an early bedtime is ordinary. Food taken away, being shut out, being hit or being threatened with a move is not: stop asking, write down the child's exact words and call your supervisor that day.
Is there anyone here, or anywhere you go, who makes you feel scared or uncomfortable?
Why ask it
Ask it only when you are alone with the child, and never promise to keep the answer secret. What you must report, and to whom, is set by your state and your program, so know that before the visit. If the answer is yes, listen, thank them for telling you, and leave the detailed questioning to the people trained for it.
How is school going, and which grown-up there do you like best?
Why ask it
The second half gives you the name of the person at school to speak to, if your appointment lets you contact the school. A favorite teacher or coach is an anchor that a change of placement could cost them, so name that person when a move is being discussed.
Who do you miss, and when did you last see or talk to them?
Why ask it
Brothers and sisters, a grandparent, an earlier foster family, a best friend and a pet come up as often as parents do. Write down each name and the last contact the child remembers, then ask the caseworker what the plan is for each one.
How do visits with your mom or dad go, and how do you feel afterward?
Why ask it
You want both halves: what happens during the visit and what the hours after it are like. A child can love the visits and still be upset that evening, so do not read a hard night as proof the visits are harmful. Report what the child said and what the caregiver saw as two separate things.
What do you want the judge to know?
Why ask it
Write the answer word for word and ask whether you may repeat it. Explain that you will tell the judge what the child wants and also what you think is best, and that the two may differ. A child who hears that from you early is not caught off guard at the hearing.
Would you like to be at the hearing, or would you rather I speak for you?
Why ask it
Whether children attend, and how, depends on the court, the judge and the child's age, so find out from your supervisor what is possible before you offer it. Some children want to be in the room and some would rather write a letter or have you carry the message. Do not promise an option you cannot deliver.
What do you want to be doing a year from now, and who is helping you get ready for it?
Why ask it
This one is for teenagers. A reassuring answer has an adult's name in it and something practical: a driving permit, a bank account, a job, a plan for after graduation. 'Nobody has talked to me about that' is a finding in itself, and the caseworker can tell you what help for older youth exists where you are.
Caregivers
How has the child settled in since the first week?
Why ask it
Ask for the then and the now: what the first nights were like and what is different today. A caregiver who can describe the change in detail is paying attention. 'Fine, no problems' about a child who has just been moved deserves a gentle second question about what a difficult day looks like.
What is this child good at, and what do you enjoy about having them here?
Why ask it
Files and reports fill up with problems, and this is how you collect the other half. A quick answer with a story in it, the joke at dinner or the way she looks after the cat, suggests a caregiver who likes this child. If the answer is slow in coming after months together, note it and ask again at a later visit before you draw anything from it.
How are sleeping, eating and bedtime going?
Why ask it
Caregivers often mention nightmares, a wet bed or food hidden in a bedroom. Record what they have seen and how they handle it, and find out whether the caseworker or a therapist has been told. Listen as well for whether they describe it with patience or as defiance.
What sets off a hard day, and what calms things down?
Why ask it
The answer shows how well the caregiver knows this particular child. Useful detail sounds like 'the phone call with her sister' or 'when plans change at the last minute', followed by what works. If nothing works, say in your report that the caregiver is asking for help, which is a need and not a failing.
What information were you given when the child arrived, and what are you still waiting for?
Why ask it
Go down the list: insurance or medical card, immunization record, medication and allergy details, school records, the visit schedule. Anything missing weeks later is something you can chase with the caseworker, and a dated list of what is outstanding is useful in a report.
Which appointments does the child have each week, and can you get to all of them?
Why ask it
Therapy, the doctor, the dentist, family visits and tutoring can add up to several trips a week on top of a job. When a service has quietly lapsed, transport is often the reason. Find out which appointments get missed and why, and bring that to the caseworker as a logistics problem to solve.
What do you notice in the day or two after a family visit?
Why ask it
Set the answer beside what the child told you about the same visits. Ask for what they observed, such as trouble sleeping or a quiet evening, and keep it apart from their view of the parents. Caregivers can have strong feelings about the birth family, and your report should not carry those as fact.
May I see where the child sleeps and keeps their things?
Why ask it
Ask your program what you are expected to look at in a home, and whether you look at all. Where it is part of the visit, you are noticing a bed of their own, clothes put away, a photo or a drawing on the wall. Belongings still in bags months after arriving go in your notes, with the date you saw them.
What do you need that you are not getting, from the agency or anyone else?
Why ask it
Expect practical answers: a returned phone call, child care, a weekend off, a referral that has not come through. A placement can end because a caregiver is worn out, so write the need down plainly and pass it on. Do not promise to fix it yourself.
Can you see the child staying here for as long as the case needs, and what would make that hard?
Why ask it
Raise it away from the child and without any edge to it. A long pause or 'we are taking it month by month' is information the caseworker needs now, not on the day notice is given. If the caregiver is open to something longer term, that belongs in your report as well.
How do things stand between you and the child's parents: do you talk, text or keep apart?
Why ask it
It matters most with relatives, where old family arguments can spill into the placement. Some caregivers text photos and share school news; others have no contact and want none. Record which it is, and ask the caseworker what contact between the adults the plan expects.
Caseworker
What brought the child into care, and what has to be different before going home is safe?
Why ask it
Read the petition and the file first if your appointment gives you access, then have the worker say it in plain words. A clear answer to the second half describes a condition, such as a sober adult in the home or a safe place to live, and not only a list of classes. When all you get is the list, the follow-up is what finishing each item is meant to show.
What is the permanency goal right now, and is there a second plan alongside it?
Why ask it
Get the exact term your court uses and the date it was set. If the worker describes a backup plan, ask what has been done on it so far. A goal that has not been looked at in a long time, with nothing moving under it, is a question to raise with your supervisor before the next hearing.
What does the case plan ask of each parent, and where does each one stand today?
Why ask it
Ask for it item by item, with dates: referred, started, completed, stopped. 'Not compliant' is a conclusion, and what you need for a report is what sits under it. Note which items the worker has checked personally and which are the parent's own account.
Which services have been referred, and which have actually started?
Why ask it
A referral and a first appointment can be months apart, and the gap is easy to miss in a file. For the child and for each parent, ask who the provider is, when the first session was and whether there is a waiting list. A service that is ordered but not happening is exactly what a judge can be told about.
When did you last see the child, and what stood out to you?
Why ask it
Compare the worker's picture with your own. Where they match, you can say so with more confidence. Where they differ, for instance the worker saw a cheerful child and you saw a withdrawn one, say what you saw and when, and ask what they make of the difference.
What is the visit schedule, who supervises, and what would have to happen for it to change?
Why ask it
Write down the days, the place, the length and who is in the room. The last part is the useful one: a clear answer names the step that would allow longer or unsupervised visits. If nobody can say what the step is, put that in your report.
Where are the child's brothers and sisters, and how often do they see each other?
Why ask it
Pin down the date of the last sibling visit and the next one planned. 'We are working on it' month after month means it is not happening. Distance, caregivers' schedules and transport are the usual obstacles, and naming the specific one makes it easier for someone to fix.
Which relatives and family friends have been contacted, and what did they say?
Why ask it
Check that both sides of the family were looked at, the father's included, and that people who cannot take a child were still asked about calls and visits. Bring the names the child and the parents gave you. Passing them along is your job; contacting them yourself may not be, so ask your supervisor first.
Is the child up to date on medical, dental and any other checkups the agency requires?
Why ask it
What is required, and how soon after a child enters care, differs from place to place, so ask what the rule is there. Get dates and any follow-up that was recommended. An overdue dental visit or an unfilled referral is a concrete item you can ask about again in two weeks.
Is this placement stable, and is another move being discussed?
Why ask it
You would rather hear about a possible move while there is still time to speak up about school, siblings and the child's wishes. If one is likely, ask what is being done to keep the child in the same school and whether the child has been told. Nobody should learn about a move from the packing.
What is the next hearing about, and what will you be recommending?
Why ask it
Nobody should be surprised in the courtroom, you included. If your view differs from the worker's, tell them before the hearing and explain what you saw that leads you there. Then talk to your supervisor about how the disagreement should appear in your report.
What is stuck that I could help move along?
Why ask it
A volunteer with one case can sometimes chase what a worker with many cannot: a records request, a call back from a school, a form waiting on a signature. Stick to what your program allows. You pass things on and follow up; you do not arrange services or make promises to the family.
School and Health
How is the child doing now compared with the start of the term?
Why ask it
Put it to the teacher who sees the child most. Ask about work and about the classroom separately, since a child can keep their grades and lose their friends, or the reverse. Check with the caseworker what the school already knows before you call, so you are not the one who reveals that the child is in care.
How many days has the child missed or arrived late, and is there a pattern?
Why ask it
An impression is not enough here, so request the attendance record if your appointment lets you see it. Absences that fall on visit days, court dates or therapy afternoons point to a scheduling problem the adults can solve. Scattered absences with no reason given are ones to take to the caregiver.
Does the child have, or need, extra support such as an IEP or a 504 plan?
Why ask it
If there is a plan, ask when it was last reviewed and whether it followed the child from the previous school. If the teacher thinks one is needed, ask who can request an evaluation. Who holds the right to make education decisions for a child in care varies, so take that part to the caseworker.
Who does the child sit with at lunch and play with at recess?
Why ask it
Teachers and lunch staff usually know. One steady friend is a good sign, and a reason to speak up for keeping the same school if a placement change is on the table. Eating alone every day, or a run of fights, is something to describe factually and raise with the caregiver and the caseworker.
Did the records from the last school arrive, and are any credits or grades missing?
Why ask it
Older children who change schools mid-year are the ones to ask this about, because lost credits can push graduation back. Ask the counselor to show you what transferred. If something is missing, ask who is responsible for requesting it and give that name to the caseworker.
What are you able to share with me, and what would you need in order to share more?
Why ask it
Open with this when you call a doctor, a therapist or any other provider. What they may tell a volunteer depends on your court order, the law where you are and their own rules, so have your appointment paperwork ready. A provider who says no is doing their job; take the question back to your supervisor.
Is the child coming to sessions regularly, and is there anything the adults around them should do differently?
Why ask it
You are not asking a therapist what is said in the room. Attendance, whether the child takes part, whether the caregiver is involved and what the therapist recommends are the things a court can act on. If sessions keep being missed, find out whether the cause is transport, timing or the child refusing.
Which medications does the child take, who prescribed each one, and when was it last reviewed?
Why ask it
Record what you are told and who told you. Judging a prescription is not your role, but noticing is: a medication no adult in the child's life can explain, or one that has changed with every placement, is a question to hand to the caseworker and your supervisor.
Parents
What would you like me to know about your child that is not in the file?
Why ask it
It is a respectful way to begin, because it treats the parent as the person who knows the child best. You hear about the nickname, the food they will not touch, the song that settles them at night. Ask the caseworker whether the practical details can be passed to the caregiver.
In your own words, what is the court asking you to do?
Why ask it
The distance between the written plan and the parent's account of it is the finding. A parent who lists every item and where they are with it is in a different position from one who is unsure what the plan says. Do not explain the law or give advice; point them to their attorney and their caseworker.
What is getting in the way of the services on your plan?
Why ask it
Listen for things someone could fix: a bus route, a work shift that clashes with a class, a waiting list, a phone that was cut off. Write the obstacle in the parent's words. Whether it is a reason or an excuse is not yours to decide, but the court cannot remove a barrier it has not heard about.
How are visits going from your side, and what would make them better?
Why ask it
Parents often describe a small room, a short hour and someone taking notes in the corner. Ask what they bring and what they do together, and whether the day and time work with their job. You now have three accounts of the same visits, theirs, the child's and the caregiver's, and where they agree is solid ground.
Who in your family or among your friends could help, with a home for the child or just with staying in touch?
Why ask it
Parents sometimes hold back names early in a case and offer them later, so ask again a few months in. Get full names and how each person knows the child. Hand the list to the caseworker; checking those people out is the agency's task.
What is different for you now compared with when the case opened?
Why ask it
Give the parent room to describe progress: a lease, steady work, time in treatment, a class finished. Ask whether there is something on paper that shows it, since a certificate or a pay stub carries further in a report than your impression. If little has changed, write that down without comment.
Which routines or traditions matter in your family that you want kept up while your child is in care?
Why ask it
Faith, food, hair care, a home language and a birthday custom are the common answers. Most are easy for a caregiver to honor once somebody tells them. It also gives a parent a way to keep parenting from a distance, and parents are usually glad to be asked.
Is there anything you want the judge to hear that you feel has not been heard?
Why ask it
Before they answer, remind them that what they tell you can go in your report and that you speak for the child's interests, not for them. Their attorney is the one who argues their side. You can still report accurately what they said, and that is often what a parent is asking for.
Court Report
What did I see myself, what was I told, and who told me?
Why ask it
Go through your notes and mark every line one of the three ways before you draft. 'The bedroom had no bed frame on March 3' and 'the caregiver says a frame is on order' are different kinds of statement, and a judge reads them differently. Anything you cannot attribute comes out.
What has changed for the child since the last hearing?
Why ask it
A report that repeats the last one tells the court nothing. List the changes first, good and bad: a new school, a visit schedule that grew, a service that stopped. If the honest answer is that nothing has moved, say that plainly, because a stalled case is something a judge can ask about.
What does the child want, and where does my recommendation differ from it?
Why ask it
Put the child's wishes in their own words and keep them in a separate paragraph from your recommendation. Where the two differ, give your reasons in a sentence or two. Then plan how the child will hear it from you before the hearing, not from someone else after it.
Which needs are still unmet, and who would have to do what, by when, to meet them?
Why ask it
A recommendation earns its place when it names the need, the person responsible and a date. 'Continue services' gives the court nothing to order. 'The child has waited since January for a dental appointment' gives it something to ask about.
Who have I not spoken to yet?
Why ask it
Check your contact log against the people in the child's life: the other parent, a sibling's caregiver, the therapist, a coach, the child's attorney if there is one. If you could not reach someone, say so in the report and say how often you tried. A gap you name is better than one the court finds.
Is there anything in this report that someone will be reading for the first time?
Why ask it
A caseworker, a caregiver or a parent who meets a concern for the first time in a filed report tends to stop talking to you. Where your program allows it, raise the concern with the person first and record their response. Ask your supervisor who you may discuss the draft with.
What belongs in the report, and what should I bring to my supervisor instead?
Why ask it
Ask it of your supervisor before every report. Guesses about a diagnosis, opinions on the law and gossip about the adults do not belong in it, and some true things about a child are too private to be read out in a courtroom. Your program will have its own format, deadline and rule about who receives a copy.
Asking well as a CASA volunteer
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What to ask the program before you take a case
How much time, and for how long
Ask how many hours a month a typical case takes, how often you are expected to see the child, and how long cases tend to stay open in that court. Programs generally hope a volunteer will stay until the case closes, so ask what happens if your circumstances change partway through.
Who backs you up
Find out who your supervisor will be, how quickly they answer, and who you call when something worrying happens on a weekend. Ask whether they read every report before it is filed and whether someone from the program sits with you at your first hearing.
What your appointment lets you do
The court order that appoints you sets who you may talk to and which records you may see, and it differs between courts. Ask to read a sample order, and ask which doors it opens on its own and which need a signed release.
The rules on contact with the child
Ask before the first visit whether you may drive the child, be alone with them, give gifts, exchange phone numbers, connect online or take photos. Programs set these rules differently, and it is far easier to know them than to explain a breach.
What you must report
Ask exactly what you are required to report if a child tells you about harm, to whom, and how fast. Put the phone numbers in your phone that day. Whether volunteers count as mandated reporters depends on the state, so do not assume either way.
Choosing the case
You can usually say what you are and are not ready for: a baby, a group of siblings, a teenager, a long drive. Ask what is known about the case, how many adults are involved and how far apart they live. Turning down a poor fit is kinder than leaving in month four.
What a volunteer may and may not ask
Ask open questions, never leading ones
'Tell me about bedtime' leaves the child free to answer. 'Does he yell at you at bedtime?' puts words in their mouth and can muddy what they say later to an investigator. If you catch yourself suggesting an answer, stop and go back to something ordinary.
Do not investigate a disclosure
If a child tells you someone has hurt them, your part is to listen, stay calm, say you are glad they told you, and report it the way your program requires. Questioning for detail is the work of people trained to interview children, and telling the story to one adult after another is hard on a child.
Never promise secrecy
Tell children, in words that suit their age, that you do not keep secrets about anyone being hurt and that what they tell you helps you speak to the judge. Tell caregivers and parents the same at the first meeting: what they say may appear in your report.
Stay out of advice
Parents will ask what they should do, what the judge will decide and whether their lawyer is any good. You cannot answer any of those. Say that you speak for the child's interests, and send legal questions to their attorney and plan questions to the caseworker.
Leave the child out of the adults' business
Do not ask a child to report on a parent or a caregiver, to choose between homes, or to explain why they were removed. Ask about their own days, feelings and wishes. What the adults did is something you learn from the adults and the file.
Records and professionals
Whether a school, a doctor or a therapist may talk to you depends on the order and on rules that vary by place. Ask each one what they need, show your paperwork, and do not push. Asking for a diagnosis to be explained is fine; offering one of your own is not.
Running a visit with a child
Fit the visit to the age
With a toddler you mostly watch: how they move, who they reach for, whether they are clean, fed and curious. A school-age child talks more easily over a board game or a walk than across a table. Teenagers often open up in a car or over food, if your program allows either.
Pick three questions, not thirty
Choose a few from the list before each visit and let the rest of the time be ordinary. A child who is questioned for an hour every month learns to dread you. The same question asked on three visits, with three different answers, tells you more than one long interview.
See the child on their own for part of it
Spend some of every visit with the child out of the caregiver's hearing, in whatever way your program permits: the porch, the yard, the walk to the corner. Then spend time with the caregiver too, so nobody feels you are there to catch them out.
Write it up the same day
Take few notes in front of the child and write the visit up that evening while the words are fresh: date, place, who was there, what you saw, what was said and by whom. Ask your program how notes must be stored and whether the court or the parties can ask to see them.
End the visit honestly
Say when you will be back and keep to it. Children in care have heard many promises, so make small ones you can keep, and do not hint at outcomes you do not control, such as going home or staying put.
Turning visits into a court report
Start from the program's template
Ask what format, filing deadline and review step your program has before anything reaches the judge. A good past report with the names removed shows you how much detail is expected and what tone the court is accustomed to.
Keep facts and opinions in separate places
Lay out what you observed and what each person told you first, each with a date and a source. Put your recommendations in their own section, and make sure every one of them rests on something in the first part.
Quote the child
A short direct quote, shared with the child's agreement, does more than a paragraph of summary. Keep it exact and give the date. If the child asks you to leave something out, do not agree before you have checked with your supervisor what your program and court expect, and anything about their safety is reported whatever was asked.
Make each recommendation something a court can act on
Name the service or step, who should carry it out and by when. Ask your supervisor which kinds of recommendation that judge finds useful and which fall outside what a volunteer should propose.
Read it as each person in the room
Before you file, read the draft once as the parent, once as the caregiver and once as the caseworker. Wherever a sentence would feel unfair or come as news, check the fact, soften the wording or have the conversation first.