Knowledge of and Attitudes About the Dependency System: Comparing Court Appointed Special Advocates and Dependency‐Involved Parents

ABSTRACT Involvement in the juvenile dependency system—the system in the USA serving children removed from parents because of substantiated maltreatment—requires navigating complex processes. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) may be appointed by judges to support children and provide court recommendations. CASA support can be critical to children and case decisions, yet little is known about CASAs' knowledge of and attitudes towards the dependency system. We examined CASAs' knowledge and attitudes, comparing these to those of dependency‐involved parents, another group whose understanding and perspectives are central to outcomes. Participants ( N = 169, 71 CASAs and 98 parents in ongoing cases) from a suburban US west coast county completed questionnaires assessing their ability to define common dependency terms and explain what was happening in a physical abuse case vignette. Legal attitudes were measured via statements on procedural and distributive justice. CASAs demonstrated greater knowledge and more positive court attitudes, even after accounting for demographic and socio‐economic factors. Group differences likely reflect the distinct roles and experiences of CASAs versus parents. CASAs are required to attend training classes. Parents have attorneys but are not gleaning as much knowledge from them or the court. Parents may benefit from additional resources and advocates similar to CASAs, potentially improving engagement, understanding and outcomes for families in the dependency system.