CASA Connection

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff discuss various pathways to permanency within the foster care world. Every single family has their own set of circumstances. Every child is unique. How can we make sure we're providing the best path forward for everyone involved? That's what we discuss in this episode. At the root of what we do at CASA, we always strive for safety and permanency for the youth we serve. 

This week, we're diving into the phrase "best interest" within the world of foster care. What does "best interest of a child" actually mean? Tracey and Jeff discussed various aspects of this topic, and how CASA volunteers are directly involved with making sure children have a voice. A great episode! 

As the holidays approach, Tracey and Jeff talked about what we're thankful for, specifically within our CASA nonprofit. The nonprofit has continued to do great things in the community for children living in foster care and their families over this past year. This was a very heartfelt discussion. 

The one thing individuals in the social work world have is compassion. Compassion for those who are less fortunate within our local communities. We want to help, and many do their all to bring positivity to others. However, how should we handle and feel when the resulting burnout arises? This episode dives into these subject matters for our CASA volunteers and all individuals in our communities.

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff are keeping things light. Well, as light as they can be. While funding for CASA programs throughout the United States remain up in the air based on federal funding cuts, Tracey and Jeff discussed how we can find fun funding sources for our CASA programs in the future. 

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff dove into the critical importance of resource parents within the world of foster care. These individuals, mainly family members, are some of the forgotten individuals at times within the system. Why are resource parents so important? How can they help provide for youth living in foster care? These are some of the questions we answered within this episode.

On this episode, Tracey and Jeff dove into the importance of help children and families via concrete resources. They spoke about CASA SHaW's "Big Ideas" plan and how we must continue to provide children living in foster care with better and enhanced resources in a very uncertain world. 

This week, Tracey and Jeff talked about men's mental health as we recognize Men's Mental Health Awareness Month here in June. Jeff shares some of his story growing up, and inevitably focusing on himself and his mental health, healing from the trauma he endured as a young boy. The overriding theme of this episode, talking to someone helps to heal. 

In this episode, Tracey and Jeff talk about the very real condition of burnout and how we, in the social work profession, need to institute boundaries from time to time. The mental health of our CASA volunteers, staff, Board of Trustees, and every stakeholder is important.  We need to recognize what burnout might look like, and how to put up those boundaries when needed.

We spoke to our friends at CASA of New Jersey about the CASA Network Impact Initiative they have undertaken with the 12 CASA programs throughout the state. What is the goal of this initiative? How is being implemented? Inevitably, how will this help our CASA programs better serve children who are living in foster care? A great discussion about the progress our CASA programs are making.

Within this episode, Tracey and Jeff discussed healing-centered practices that are valuable for adults. We all want to interrupt children’s negative behaviors, and one of the best methods to do this is to promote healing-centered practices. The strategies to do this are: self-care, co-regulation, and touch points. We hope this episode is valuable to you and those in your network.