Lead Judge Project Lead Judge Project
Background and Goals In 2003, the National CASA
Association and the National Council of Juvenile and Family
Court Judges established the Judicial Liaison Committee. Members
of this committee include National Council Judges, National CASA
state directors and staff from both organizations. One project
of the Judicial Liaison Committee is the Lead Judge Project. The
purpose of this project is to enhance collaboration between
members of the state court judiciary and state and local
CASA/GAL programs. The Judicial Liaison Committee has encouraged
the selection of one or more judges in each state who would
serve as lead or key contact judges to work with state and local
CASA/GAL programs.
The principle goals of the Lead Judge Project have been to
increase knowledge in the judicial and legal community of the
role of CASA/GAL programs and volunteers; to educate members of
the judicial and legal communities regarding National CASA
Association standards for state and local programs and the
quality assurance process; to offer joint leadership to explore
expansion of the number of CASA/GAL programs and increase the
quality of those programs in each state; to provide mentoring
and technical assistance for communities with CASA/GAL start-up
projects; and to increase communication and collaboration
between the CASA/GAL network and the judicial and legal
communities in each state.
Lead Contact Judge Job Description
Purpose: To enable the state director to develop a
relationship with a judge in his or her state for the purpose of
promoting CASA programs and to provide counsel and education
about CASA to the judiciary and the community.
In collaboration with the state director, lead contact judges in
each state will mentor judges in communities seeking to
establish a CASA/GAL program, facilitate trouble shooting in
jurisdictions where the CASA/GAL program may be out of
compliance with National CASA standards (typically because of
judicial or program practices) and will demonstrate leadership
and innovation in promoting and supporting CASA programs within
the judicial community and to the public.
Qualifications to Consider for the Lead Contact Judge: The
lead contact judge’s qualifications include:
- Providing significant help to abused and neglected
children by working with a CASA/GAL program
- Working with a CASA/GAL program in his/her jurisdiction
that is considered to be a quality program that is operating
in compliance with national and state standards
- Demonstrating leadership and innovation in promoting and
supporting CASA programs within the judicial community and to
the public
- Making contributions to the advancement of children’s
issues and exemplifying exceptional leadership in furthering
consistent quality representation of children
- Understanding core principles and policies of national,
state and local programs, including:
- The CASA/GAL volunteer’s role in court
- The CASA/GAL program’s governance and funding
- The working relationship with between the state office
and the local program
- The enabling state statute for CASA/GAL
- The National CASA Association’s quality assurance
standards and processes
Possible Duties and Requirements for the Lead Contact
Judge: The lead contact judge works collaboratively with the
state director when consulting with judges and programs about
CASA/GAL. Duties may include:
- Being accessible to the national, state and local
office for consultation
- Providing mentoring for CASA/GAL judges when the need
arises
- Providing judicial expertise for training purposes and
quality assurance issues
- Providing education and updates about state laws and
revisions for the volunteer training manual
- Being available to participate with NCJFCJ and
National CASA in training and educational opportunities
- Promoting and supporting CASA on the state and
national level
- Assisting in recruiting judges in judicial communities
without CASA/GAL programs
Articles About the Lead Judge Project The Lead Judge Project was piloted in the state of Georgia under
the joint leadership of Judge R. Michael Key, Treasurer of the
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and
Georgia CASA Director Duaine Hathaway. The following articles
describe the Georgia experience.
Locate a Lead Judge Project Through the CASA Program in
Your State For more information about the Lead Judge Project in your
state, including contact information for the lead or key contact
judge, please contact the state director, found by following
this link:
http://www.casanet.org/_copi/index.asp
Additional Information About Judicial Collaboration Activities A survey was sent to National CASA state directors to gather
information about the judicial collaboration activities
occurring in each state.
Read the summary of responses (30
KB PDF).
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