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

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. 
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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.
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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. 
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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. 
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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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Our guiding principles emphasize collaboration with and respect for all parties involved in the case. 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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