National Casa Website           CASA Application

KID’S KLOSET Pajama Drive

CASA Job Description          CASA Application Procedure 

WHAT IS A CASA ?
A CASA is a well-trained individual who can devote the time necessary to listen to the child, investigate their concerns and situation and develop feasible options for the Court to consider that represent the best interest of the child.  They are not tethered to an overburdened caseload and they are not responsible for focusing on the entire family.  They are not responsible for providing appropriate legal representation but rather mentorship and support.   To be clear, a CASA is not designed to be an adversary to the social worker or the attorney, but rather is an important member of the team whose ultimate goal is the best interest of that child.

CASAs stand up for abused, and neglected children as they travel through the Court system; in short they are the voice of the child.  In an overburdened system where children risk slipping through the cracks, the CASA’s sole goal is to see that the child’s best interests are served.

What are the requirements for becoming a CASA?
A CASA must be over the age of 21.  They must successfully pass a criminal background investigation and submit to and receive a clear CANS (a system that contains information on reported cases of Child Abuse) report.  They must provide at least three references that are not relatives.  They must submit to a thorough interview and are screened closely for objectivity, competence and commitment.  We are requiring a two year commitment for all our CASAs (that is the normal time frame for a case).  Once they have passed the screening process they must attend and successfully complete the training program (approximately 40 hours).  Only after completing the training are they sworn in as a CASA.

How much time does it require?
Each case is different however, normally, a CASA will initially spend about ten to fifteen hours doing research and conducting interviews prior to the first court appearance (normally 30 days after being assigned the case) and another few hours writing a court report and developing recommendations. The more complicated the case, the more time.  During this initial period, the CASA must be available to attend the court hearings. Once the initial case is heard, the CASA will work about 10 hours a month monitoring the case, meeting with DCFS, the school, the parents and most importantly the child.

Kid’s Kloset
The Churchill County Kid’s Kloset is a regional resource for the Division of Child and Family Services and the Churchill County CASA Program to use in the event that a youth in DCFS custody requires clothing (emergency or otherwise), shoes, personal hygiene items and school supplies that cannot be obtained by any other means but are necessary for their comfort, improvement of quality of life, safety, health or simply something to make their lives easier.    The Kid’s Kloset is always in need of donations of new or very gently used items.  Contact the Churchill County CASA office at 423-6088 ext 263 to donate new clothing/shoes or to see if you qualify for help.

Who We Are

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation’s leading voice on mental health. Today, we are an association of hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations and volunteers who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need of assistance in dealing with mental health.

What We Do

We educate. Offered in thousands of communities across America through our NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates, our education programs ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators get the support and information they need about mental health, mental illness, crisis and support.

We advocate. NAMI shapes the national public policy landscape for people with mental illness and their families and provides grassroots volunteer leaders with the tools, resources and skills necessary to save mental health in all states.

We listen. Our toll-free NAMI HelpLine allows us to respond personally to hundreds of thousands of requests each year, providing free referral, information and support—a much-needed lifeline for many.

We lead. Public awareness events and activities, including Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW), NAMIWalks and other efforts, successfully combat stigma and encourage understanding. NAMI works with reporters on a daily basis to make sure our country understands how important mental health is.

Carson City Health and Human Services

Our mission remains the same today as it has been since its founding: to assist individuals age 60+ with questions, problems, and concerns by providing assistance and access to a comprehensive range of services. These services are for Carson City residents only for now.

We offer many services at the Carson City Senior Center, including Meals on Wheels service, onsite dining, Medicare counseling, tax preparation service, blood pressure clinics, AARP driving services, senior support groups, along with our Social Work Program Manager who can help our seniors connect with the services that they need.  We also have a bilingual Case Manager.  We encourage you to read the service description to get a better idea what is involved and who the point of contact person is.

Blood Pressure is taken by a registered nurse on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Wednesday of each month from 10:30am – 11:30 am. 

There is no charge, however donations are accepted.

• A reading below 120/80 is considered normal, according to the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute.
• High blood pressure is responsible for 35% of all cardiovascular problems like heart attacks or strokes and 24% of preventable deaths.

Medicare Advisors

SHIP Medicare advisors are available to answer Medicare questions, free of charge, at the Carson City Senior Citizens Center on the following days:

Tuesday, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. by appointment

Thursday, 10:00 to 1:30 p.m. First-come, first served basis

The SHIP volunteer advisors can assist anyone with questions or concerns relating to Medicare and/or Medicare products.  SHIP services are designed to help explain Medicare, health insurance, health service plans, and other options for financing health and long-term care services in an objective and unbiased manner that supports your independent decisions.

The counseling services are provided by SHIP-trained Volunteer Advisors who are acting in good faith to provide information about Medicare health insurance policies and benefits to you.

The State Health Insurance Assistance program (SHIP) is funded by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division.

There is no fee for this service.

Carson City Senior Center has a licensed Social Work Program Manager available by appointment, to assist you with any problems or concerns you may have.  We also have a bilingual Case Manager available to help with your needs.

Please call the Senior Center at (775) 883-0703 to schedule an appointment with our social worker.

Churchill County Public Guardian

Any individual who is stated to be in need of a guardianship maybe referred to Churchill County Social Services Department.

All individuals must have a psychological assessment before the referral is received, completed by a private individual who is medically qualified or otherwise licensed to complete such an assessment or by the State of Nevada Department of Human and Social Services by a person medically qualified or licensed to complete such an assessment.

All referrals for county guardianship must be made through the Churchill County Social Services Department. All referrals must be accompanied by as much information as possible in the following areas including any and all documentation that is available.
-Medical condition of the individual
-Doctor of the individual including doctor name, address & phone number
-Date last seen by doctor
-Names and Account numbers for all financial institutions
-Name, Address and Phone number of all relatives
-Local address and length of time where the individual has been living
-Income verification
-Documentation or statement to support reason for referral

• Guardian services for indigent elderly adults who are wards of the court – financial, medical, and other decisions for those who cannot make them (have been declared incompetent/unable to handle their own affairs)
• Communicate with the court
• Make purchases of their supplies
• Pay their bills
• Visit them in facility, 1X per month or more
• Referrals initiated through Shannon Ernst, Social Services
• Resident of Churchill County
• 60 years of age or up
• No other source of pay
• Doctor must sign off before application can be accepted

  Public Guardian Referral Form