CASA on the Go: Continuing Education for CASA Volunteers

In this episode, we're thrilled to be in conversation with Dr. Jared Williams and Stephen Fowler from Family Service Center, an organization that provides counseling, parenting education, and prevention services to families in Southeast Texas communities. Our discussion dives into some of the biggest challenges facing families and explores insights from FSC's Fatherhood Program on engaging with fathers in our advocacy. Support the show

In this episode, we sit down with two incredible advocates, Sarah Crocket and Stephanie Battaglia, to dive into Texas CASA's legislative priorities for the 89th legislative session kicking off on January 14th, 2025. Sarah and Stephanie walk us through the process of identifying key priorities, share what's on the docket for the upcoming session, and discuss how CASA volunteers can get involved in systems-level advocacy to support these efforts. They also highlight the crucial connection between legislative advocacy and the direct support CASA volunteers provide to children and families. Tune in to learn how you can help make a difference at both the grassroots and policy levels in this upcoming session. To receive the public policy e-newsletter, please email PublicPolicy@texascasa.org. To join the Texas CASA LAT Facebook page, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/TXCASALATS. Support the show

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome the wonderful Heather Cantamessa, Director of Family Impact at Akin. Heather draws on her work with the transformative Parents for Parents program, a model of peer support that empowers families involved with Child Protective Services, and discusses the vital role CASA advocates can play in facilitating communication and collaboration between parents and other parties in the system. Support the show

In this episode, we're delighted to dive into an impactful study co-led by Dr. Heather Fox, Dr. Cady Landa and a team of colleagues exploring kinship guardianship for children and youth in foster care. This research offers insights on the benefits and challenges of kinship guardianship (sometimes called PMC to a relative) as well as ways advocates can strive to support kinship caregivers. Dr. Fox and Dr. Landa also discuss disparities in permanency timelines and outcomes, offering important recommendations for ensuring CASA volunteers can provide the highest quality advocacy for all children and families we walk alongside.Support the Show.

Access to adequate, affordable childcare can be a major challenge for working families across Texas. Joining us today is the wonderful Gabrielle Cloudy, Daycare Coordinator at the Department of Family and Protective Services, to shine a light on the Department's daycare program and what CASA volunteers can do to help facilitate access to childcare for families involved with DFPS. Support the Show.

In this episode, we're thrilled to be in conversation with Dr. Heather Taussig, the developer and director of the Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program. Dr. Taussig gives us an insightful glimpse into this evidence-based mentoring and skill-building program created for pre-teen and teenage youth with child welfare involvement. Tune in as we explore the positive impacts of the Fostering Healthy Futures program and the lessons it offers for supporting and empowering youth, including some wonderful ideas around preparing for healthy goodbyes with children and youth. Support the Show.

In this episode, we're honored to be conversation with Dr. Heather Fox and Dr. Robin LaSota discussing their research on supporting youth in cross-racial out of home placements. Their work seeks to shine light on the challenges that Black youth in particular face in cross-racial placements as well as how a youth's caregivers, family, and advocates can collaborate to help support healthy cultural and identity development for youth in out of home care. You can learn more about Dr. Fox and Dr. LaSota's work here. Support the Show.

One of the CASA guiding principles is respect for the parents we walk alongside, as well as for all parties involved in the case. This episode is brimming with insights from our guest Cindy Dyar, Director of the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Family Defense Project, on how we can approach collaboration with parents and their attorneys with an open mind and a commitment to understanding, even when we might not be in agreement. Cindy has practiced family law for more than a decade and shares some powerful questions that CASA advocates can draw on to build rapport with parents and open up discussion about their hopes and concerns. For more resources on partnering with parents' attorneys in your family engagement work, check out this wonderful video about CFE for the legal community. Support the show

How can CASA advocacy be more deeply informed by what we know about lifelong health outcomes for youth involved with the CPS system? Research has revealed profound inequalities in adulthood related to the type of care experienced by youth in the foster care system. Joining us to put this important research into conversation with CASA advocacy is global change-maker Elizabeth Wendell, an innovator in public health and family well-being and co-founder of Pale Blue.Support the show

In this episode we're delighted to be joined by author, speaker, and CASA advocate Joan Ulsher, a powerful voice for the mission and impact of CASA. Joan shares insights from her work as a deeply devoted advocate as well as from her memoir "Misplaced Childhood: A True Story of Resiliency and Child Advocacy," which touches on her own experience with foster care. You can read more about Joan's work here. Support the show

What are some tangible ways CASA advocates can cultivate resilience and keep our compassion game strong when engaged in advocacy work that can sometimes weigh heavily on our hearts and minds? The wonderful and wise Christa Mayfield of Good Sustained shines a light on strategies for mitigating burnout and building resilience within ourselves so that our advocacy work can continue to feel meaningful and rooted in authentic compassion, and so that we can continually bring our best selves into our relationships and work. Support the show

In this episode, we're thrilled to be in conversation with Cortney Jones, founder of Change 1, an organization that aims to support young adults with foster care experience in realizing their full potential. Cortney draws on examples from the work she leads at the intersection of restorative justice and child welfare practice to explore how CASA volunteers can work to proactively affirm human dignity in our advocacy as we seek to support authentic justice, empowerment, and healing for families involved in the CPS system. Support the show

What can CASA advocates do to build effective working relationships and increase collaboration with attorney ad litems? For this conversation, we're honored to be joined by the deeply insightful Lori Duke, Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Children's Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law. Lori shares strategies and best practices for collaborative child advocacy gathered from her immense experience representing children and youth. Support the show

In this episode, we're delighted to be in conversation with Laura Villarreal, the Neurodevelopmental Program Specialist with the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Laura shines a light on the web of services and supports that the Texas Workforce Commission offers for teens and young adults in foster care to help expand their access to economic opportunities and supportive mentoring relationships with a goal of establishing life-giving stability as they transition to young adulthood. Support the show

As the families we walk alongside embark on a new school year, let's pause to reflect on how CASA advocates can have a powerful impact on increasing educational stability and success for youth in foster care. In this episode, we're joined by the brilliant Chantal Hinds, an attorney, policy entrepreneur, and an advocate for the well-being of students involved in the foster system. Chantal shares valuable insights from her research into improving educational wellbeing for youth in care, as well as wisdom around what works when it comes to partnering with parents and foster caregivers to better facilitate their involvement as part of that child or youth's educational support system. For more information on Chantal's work, check out https://thenext100.org/entrepreneur/chantal-hinds/. Support the show

As CASAs, we know how  critical it is that parents and family members have access to the information and support needed to successfully navigate what can be a complex and overwhelming child welfare system. In this episode, we're deeply honored to be joined by Sarah Bryant, managing attorney for The Family Helpline. A project of the Texas Legal Services Center, the Helpline exists to stand in the gap for families seeking information and clarity about the CPS legal process. Sarah brings her extensive experience representing and supporting both children and parents involved in CPS cases to this discussion, highlighting how CASAs and others within the system can work to effectively partner with families and strive to improve procedural justice through our advocacy. Support the show

With 47% of children in foster care falling into the 0 to 5 age range, it's critical that we're up to date on best practices in advocating for young children and strategies for effectively supporting their families. Powerhouse duo Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend return for part two of this conversation with a focus on advocating for the educational and developmental needs of four- and five-year-olds, as well as trauma-informed approaches to supporting families with young children as they navigate the CPS system. Texas CASA's Anna McDonnell joins us to share valuable resources on 0-5 advocacy for programs and advocates.To learn more about Trust-Based Relational Intervention, visit the Texas CASA Learning Center. For CASA staff interested in learning more about Child Advocates of Fort Bend's whole-program approach to 0-5 advocacy, check out their webinar series here.Support the show

In part one of this two-part conversation, we're thrilled to be joined by the seasoned team of Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend to draw on their experience leading a trailblazing advocacy program for children five and younger and their families. We'll be talking about best practices in advocating for the developmentally-specific needs of children in this age group and how CASA advocates can work to support and partner with their parents and families. Support the show

How can we support the youth we walk alongside in cultivating resilience across the essential, interconnected domains of life? In this episode, we're joined by powerhouse CASA advocate and social entrepreneur Jordan Bartlett for a conversation about showing up, building rapport, and creating authentic relationships with youth. Jordan draws on his experience as co-founder of Doing Good Works, a Texas-based company focused on creating sustainable solutions and helping individuals achieve their best, to share stories and insights from his work mentoring, supporting and partnering with youth who have experienced foster care. Support the show

The minimum sufficient level of care or MSL is a critical polestar for CASA advocacy. How can advocates ensure that we are fully embracing the MSL in our decision-making and our recommendations to the court? Drawing on her legal background as an attorney and mediator as well as her decade+ tenure with CASA, the brilliant Leslie Cocke joins us to unpack ways in which the MSL can be an important safeguard in our advocacy and to explore how CASA volunteers can strengthen their MSL lens. Click here to find the MSL pocket guide Leslie mentions.Support the show

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Texas CASA is deeply honored to have Rhonda Kuykendall discussing what advocates should know and can do when it comes to preventing child trafficking and supporting youth who have experienced the trauma of trafficking. Some trainings and resources mentioned in the episode include Innovations in Advocacy to Combat Child Sex Trafficking; Advocacy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children; and How to Talk About Human Trafficking with Children and Adolescents. Rhonda can be reached at casaacts@texascasa.org. Support the show

Foster and kinship caregivers play an incredibly important role in caring for the children and youth we walk alongside. How can CASA advocates ensure that these caregivers have the support they need while engaging them as valuable team members in our advocacy for children and families? Joining us for this conversation is the phenomenal Naomi Sawyer, Advocate Supervisor and CFE Lead at CASA of Hill County. Naomi draws on her years of leadership in advocacy for youth and families in addition to her own experience as a kinship caregiver to illuminate ways CASA advocates can facilitate a stronger partnership between foster and kinship caregivers and the families of the youth they are caring for. Support the show

At Texas CASA, we believe in learning from the stories and leadership of those who have experienced our systems firsthand. In this episode, we're joined by Renequa Burch, a mother whose family has been impacted by the Texas foster care system in a deeply agonizing way. Renequa's experiences offer crucial insights about the importance of engaging meaningfully with parents and family members from the very beginning of appointment, the power of  effective communication and collaboration, the need to gather information independently and from the source, and the bedrock importance of ensuring advocacy is grounded in the minimum sufficient level of care. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

How can we learn from the stories of those who experienced our foster care system firsthand, and move towards more compassionate and holistic advocacy for youth and families? Join us for an inspirational conversation with Collaborative Family Engagement Coach Maria McCord about the importance of empathy in our work with children and families, and the lifesaving power of connection.Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

Our guest Lisa Merkel-Holguin has written that "children and youth, in systems that are designed to serve them, often experience their needs and opinions as being overlooked in the context of planning for them." Join us for part two of this episode featuring Anita Horner and Lisa Merkel-Holguin to learn more about creative and meaningful ways young people's needs and interests could be better centered within case planning meetings and decision-making processes. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

Too often, child welfare professionals' good intentions of protecting children or youth from difficult conversations can have the unintended result of excluding the young person from decision-making that profoundly impacts them. Texas CASA is deeply honored to welcome the powerhouse duo Lisa Merkel-Holguin and Anita Horner from The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect for this two-part episode to talk about how CASA advocates can empower youth to participate more meaningfully in their family meetings, as well as in decision-making in the CPS process more generally. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

Understanding the desires of the child or youth is central to best interest advocacy. How can CASA advocates partner with youth to ensure their voices are heard and their perspectives are valued? In this episode we're joined by two wonderful guests from Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), Prince Hayward and Josue Rodriguez, sharing their expertise about how advocates can work to meaningfully include youth voices and input in our advocacy. Now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

How can CASA advocates help bend the arc of child welfare practice to become more fully family-centered? In this episode, Dr. Natalie Beck Aguilera shares evidence-based strategies for engaging with families and explores why collaborating with family members is so crucial to effective child advocacy. Dr. Beck Aguilera's "reframe game" illuminates how a strengths-based advocacy lens can help us reconsider resistance we might encounter in our work with families, and she draws on her extensive social work experience to share insights about the ways in which our own attitudes impact our working relationships with parents and families. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

This week we're thrilled to share a conversation with The Honorable Leonard Edwards, who joins us to talk about his recent article on the urgency of placing children with relatives. A retired judge now working as a consultant and educator on judicial best practices, Judge Edwards served as a Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County for 26 years, and then served six years as Judge-in-Residence at the Center for Families, Children & the Courts, a division of the Judicial Council of California. He also helped start one of the largest CASA programs in California. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

Research shows that youth in foster care are at high risk of dropping out of school and are less likely to attend or graduate from college than peers who did not experience foster care. CASA volunteers can play a powerful role when it comes to supporting these youth in meeting their educational goals, including access to higher education. In this episode of CASA on the Go, we're joined by Jessica Aleman, LCSW, to talk about Island Harbor, a wraparound program here in Texas that exists to empower young adults aging out of the foster care system in pursuing a college degree. To learn more about Island Harbor, visit the program's website or contact Jessica at jessica.aleman@tamucc.edu. For more resources, visit Education Reach for Texans, which seeks to eliminate barriers to success and build support programs for youth who experienced foster care attending public colleges and universities in the state of Texas. Follow these links to learn more about the many postsecondary programs for foster alumni and campus-based independent living programs. Support the show (https://texascasa.org/how-to-help/give/)

This special episode of CASA on the Go comes from our Distinguished Speaker Series, where we had the amazing opportunity to host conversations with trailblazers in equity and child welfare. In this episode, Kevin Campbell, developer of the Family Finding model, and Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs discuss the role of compassion in child welfare work, and how CASA volunteers can influence the quality of justice experienced by families involved in the child welfare system. View Kevin’s inspirational talk at dss.texascasa.org.Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

This special episode of CASA on the Go comes from our Distinguished Speaker Series, where we had the amazing opportunity to host conversations with trailblazers in equity and child welfare. This episode features Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs and Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of TrueChild, discussing gender norms and the connections between gender, race, and ethnicity, and the ways these norms affect children. To watch Riki's powerful 30-minute talk, visit our Distinguished Speaker Series page: https://dss.texascasa.org/Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

This special episode of CASA on the Go comes from our Distinguished Speaker Series, where we had the amazing opportunity to host conversations with trailblazers in equity and child welfare. This episode features Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs and Dr. Jessica Pryce, Executive Director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, discussing how we can more effectively address inequity in our child welfare system. To watch Dr. Pryce's powerful 30-minute talk, visit our Distinguished Speaker Series page: https://dss.texascasa.org/Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

Domestic violence impacts many families involved in the child welfare system, and this is an area where CASA volunteers can make a powerful impact through informed recommendations about appropriate services and supports. In this episode, we're joined by Claire Sudolsky of the Texas Council on Family Violence as she shares her expertise about how volunteers can best advocate for families healing from domestic violence. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

How can CASA volunteers skillfully advocate for youth with disabilities? On this episode of CASA on the Go we're joined by Heidi Lersch, Educator and Training Coordinator with SAFE’s Disability Services, and Rashid Amrani-Khaldi, Community Engagement Specialist with SAFE Disability Services, sharing strategies for how CASA volunteers can work to identify and promote protective factors that can help ensure youth with disabilities thrive in safety. Our guests also discuss the importance of using a trauma-informed lens in advocating for youth with disabilities and share a wealth of resources for support and continued learning.Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

In this episode, we talk with Alejandro Victoria, Director of Volunteer Admissions at CASA of Travis County, about the connections between CASA advocacy and the nation-wide calls for racial equity that have come to the forefront this summer. Tune in for a discussion of how CASA volunteers can proactively support youth in processing current events, as well as ways in which advocates can bring an equity lens to their work with children and families as COVID-19 continues to have a disproportionately devastating impact on communities of color in Texas. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

According to a report from Texans Care for Children, DFPS data from 2017 indicate that parental substance use is a contributing factor in 68 percent of child removals in Texas. On this episode of CASA on the Go, the Honorable Aurora Martinez Jones shares her expertise on trauma-informed advocacy strategies for working with families impacted by substance use disorder. Judge Martinez Jones leads the Travis County Family Drug Treatment Court, a specialty court that uses an empowerment-based, non-adversarial approach to working with parents involved with the child welfare system who are struggling with substance use disorder. Tune in and learn more about what CASA advocates can do to effectively support children and families in healing from substance abuse.Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

Studies have found that one of the strongest indicators for child well-being is the number of committed adults in a child’s life. How can CASA volunteers use a connection-informed advocacy lens to actively and skillfully engage the children and youth we work with as well as their family and community? This episode features Candice Dosman, Director of Collaborative Family Engagement at Texas CASA and our resident expert on connection-informed care, sharing strategies for CASA volunteers on how to advocate for children and families to be surrounded by a dedicated support system that is meant to last long after CPS involvement ends.Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact our communities here in Texas, many of us are experiencing a radical disruption in our normal everyday routines. What can these experiences of sudden discontinuity and increased social isolation teach us about the experiences of youth and children who are removed from their families, and the jarring loss of normalcy a child endures when they are placed into foster care? Listen to the latest episode of our CASA On the Go continuing education podcast for a discussion of how CASA volunteers can advocate for greater normalcy for children and youth in foster care. In this episode we're thrilled to feature advocacy tips and insights from Texas CASA's Senior Public Policy Associate and normalcy expert Sarah Crockett. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

In part two of this episode we talk with Tanya Rollins, CPS Disproportionality Manager with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, about how CASA volunteers can practice culturally responsive advocacy for children and families. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

In this two-part episode we talk with Tanya Rollins, CPS Disproportionality Manager with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Tune in as Tanya shares her expertise around disproportionality in the Texas child welfare system and discusses what CASA advocates can do to eliminate it. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

According to a Texans Care for Children report citing data from 2015, teen girls in Texas foster care were almost five times more likely to become pregnant than their non-foster care peers. In this episode of CASA on the Go we're thrilled to host Kate Murphy, Senior Child Welfare Policy Associate with Texans Care for Children, sharing her expertise on the complex issues around teen pregnancy prevention for youth in foster care. Learn what CASA advocates can do to connect youth with education about healthy relationship dynamics, support the prevention of unplanned teen pregnancies and successfully advocate for the unique needs of pregnant and parenting youth in care. Other resources mentioned in this episode include sample scripts for talking with youth from When You Decide: A Judge's Guide to Pregnancy Prevention Among Foster Youth, loveisrespect and Jane's Due Process. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)

Join us for an engaging discussion on the importance of strong educational advocacy within the classroom and beyond! This episode features guest Jamie Bernstein, Assistant Director of the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission, sharing expert tips on the nuts and bolts of how CASA volunteers can advocate for a child's academic success. Support the show (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e6f472cd-782b-4269-ab7c-d618cc849c8d)