What We Do

CASA volunteers are
Court Appointed Special Advocates

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) or guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers are local people from all walks of life. After comprehensive training, volunteers advocate for a child’s best interest in court. These are local children who experience abuse and neglect. Many are in the foster care system.

A CASA volunteer is appointed by a judge to advocate for a child’s best interest. The volunteer talks with the child, family members, teachers and others to complete their report. A CASA volunteer shares that background information, including objective recommendations, to assist the judge or magistrate in making the best decision for the child.

Meigs-Gallia CASA volunteers are community members who have been rigorously screened and trained. CASA volunteers must:

  • Be at least 21-years-old

  • Pass a background check

  • Complete at least 30 hours of pre-service training, plus in-court observation

  • Accumulate 12 hours of continuing education every year

Volunteers get continued support from the Meigs-Gallia CASA team and state non-profit Ohio CASA.

Child sitting on a wooden bench with feet hanging, wearing black pants and brown shoes, inside a building with a metallic railing in the background.

“I volunteer with CASA to be a voice for children who need it most. I want their thoughts and feelings to be heard in the court room.”

-Meigs-Gallia CASA Volunteer

“They do a phenomenal job of training and supporting their volunteers in the program. You’ll never regret making a difference in a child’s story."

-Meigs-Gallia CASA Volunteer

Meigs-Gallia CASA/GAL FAQs

  • CASA volunteers research the child’s circumstances, determine relevant facts in a child’s case and report this information to the court. Their work helps to support the court’s decision concerning the child’s future. A CASA volunteer focuses their recommendations and actions to ensure the best interests of the child are being met. A CASA will also monitor a case—making sure that services ordered are actually provided, and that the court is informed of any new developments. Every case is unique, but a CASA volunteer often must recommend to the court whether or not a child should stay or be reunified with his or her biological parents, be placed in foster care, or be available for adoption with another family. Though the final decision always rests with the judge or magistrate, a CASA volunteer does their best to inform the court as an independent and objective voice for the child.

  • CASA or guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers are unpaid community members who have made a commitment to advocate for abused, neglected and dependent children. Community members interested in becoming CASA/GAL volunteers must: Be 21 years old; Agree to a criminal background check; Complete at least 30 hours of pre-service training; and accumulate 12 hours of continuing education each year. Volunteers are closely screened by local programs for competence, commitment and objectivity.

  • CASA volunteers in the Meigs-Gallia program come from all walks of life, with a variety of professional, educational and cultural backgrounds. Our program has volunteers who work both full and part time jobs, and other volunteers who are retired. Because the children served by CASA volunteers are diverse in background and need, we strive to recruit volunteers diverse in skill.

  • Yes, CASA volunteers receive thorough training! The pre-service training takes a minimum of 30 hours. Through this training volunteers learn about courtroom procedure from those in the profession— judges, lawyers, social workers and court personnel. Volunteers also learn effective advocacy techniques for children and are educated about specific topics ranging from child abuse to how to give a report in court. The culmination of the pre-service training is the swearing-in ceremony. Volunteers also have opportunities during the course of the year to attend in-service trainings, which focus on relevant and timely topics for the CASA volunteer. In addition, CASA volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of in-service training annually.

  • According to a number of studies, children who are assigned a CASA volunteer: Spend less time in the court system and less time in foster care than those who do not have CASA representation; are more likely to be placed in permanent homes; and receive more services than children without CASA volunteer advocacy.

  • Each case is different. When a case is initially assigned, a CASA volunteer may spend five to ten hours per week researching the case history and conducting interviews. Volunteers spend anywhere from five to 15 hours a month thereafter. Some cases may continue for two years or longer, and volunteers are asked to commit until a case has been closed. Because caseworker and service provider turnover can be high, often the CASA/GAL volunteer is the only consistent presence in the child’s life.

The CASA logo which features a stylized person holding a heart over its head.

Our CASA team:

  • Chelsey Kloes is the Executive Director of the Meigs-Gallia CASA/GAL Program. Prior to coming to the Meigs-Gallia CASA/GAL Program, Chelsey worked at Meigs County Children Services as an intake, ongoing, and foster care worker. Chelsey completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University, majoring in Social Work and a minor in Communication Studies. Chelsey completed her undergraduate practicum at Meigs County Children Services prior to employment.

    Chelsey has volunteered in several different capacities working with children. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Gallia Meigs Community Action Agency and the Southeast Ohio Region Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Council. Chelsey is a mother to two girls, a coach's wife, and a bonus momma to two boys. In her free time, you can find her spending time with her family, baking or traveling.

  • Jaelea Phoenix is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Meigs-Gallia CASA/GAL Program, working out of our Gallia County Courthouse office.

    She and her husband, Mathew, have lived in this area of Ohio for a decade, after meeting in college in Cincinnati. She’s originally from Oklahoma, where she grew up in a town of less than 40 people! Her husband is from northern Ohio.

    Jaelea has years of experience working with babies, children, and teens – as a foster/adoptive parent, a youth leader, a Sunday school teacher, a study hall monitor, a homeschool mom, a babysitter, and more. She also has a background in medical assisting and phlebotomy, and comes to us with a deep interest in legal issues and mental health.

    Jaelea and Mathew adopted three children from foster care while living in Oklahoma, and have gained legal custody of three family members since being here in Ohio. That means Jaelea is no stranger to the child welfare system and personally knows the vital role a CASA/GAL can play in a case. She believes her largest contribution to this program will be her passion as a foster/adoptive/kinship parent and as someone whose calling in life is to work with children in the foster care system.