CASA on the Go: Continuing Education for CASA Volunteers Texas CASA

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. 
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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. 
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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. 
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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/. 
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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. 
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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.
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