“Is being a CASA like being a ‘big brother’ or a ‘big sister’?” This is a frequently asked question from prospective CASA volunteers. So what does a day in the life of a CASA volunteer actually entail? While much of the time is spent on building a one-on-one rapport with a child and doing fun things together, the role is much more than that. A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) goes through comprehensive training and, after completing a background check, is sworn-in as an officer of the court to advocate on behalf of a youth in the foster care system.
So what does that look like in actual practice? Well, the short answer is, “it depends.” For CASA, Nadine Turner, who is matched with an 18 year old youth, it’s a lot of life skills lessons. When her youth recently moved into his own transitional housing, he called Nadine to say there was no food to eat. Nadine had to remind him that HE had to go to the store and figure out what to buy to eat. She said, “We took a gift card and went to get milk, bread, frozen pizza, etc. I taught him how to compare prices, expiration dates, and warned him organic is going to be more expensive.” She adds, “He texted me a few days later and said, ‘When the milk smells like cheese, does that mean it’s no good?’ The challenges of living on your own are pretty significant when you’ve had no life coaching.”
For advocates who are matched with younger children, “a day in the life” can be something fun like a trip to the zoo, a children’s museum or a meal at a restaurant. Some youth in the dependency system may have grown up in Orange County, but their first time ever seeing the ocean may be with a visit alongside their CASA.
CASA volunteer Angela Wintheiser has been matched with her youth for several years and they’ve enjoyed many outings together. Angela says about their visits over the years, “I tried to introduce her to everything I could think of. Everything we did together was a first for her. She’d never been to the county fair, never seen a farm animal. Olive Garden felt like fine-dining to her and she was a little uncomfortable until I assured her she had every right to be there alongside the other customers.”
Steffanie Bellasco is also an advocate for CASA OC and she describes teaching her youth how to use a laundromat. She says, “It was an eye-opening experience for both of us. I asked my youth to bring a few coins because I wanted her to see how much things cost. The cost was almost the entirety of her allowance! I couldn’t believe how expensive it was! It was not an exciting place to hang out but she was great and stuck with it. I taught her a better way to fold clothes so they’re not all squashed up. We spent several hours there in the heat of the summer and she didn't complain at all. I also talked to her about being aware of her environment and the other people there and where it’s safe to sit. It’s helpful to experience things with her to gauge where she’s at in these kinds of situations.”
In addition to fun excursions and mentoring life skills, the role of a CASA includes a great deal of advocating on behalf of services that will improve the life of their youth. CASA Heather Gil-Lastrina describes her fierce advocacy on behalf of her youth who faces numerous challenges. Her child is a transgender youth who has lost both parents and has a history of self-harm. Finding a long term Residential Treatment Center that will provide adequate counseling services has been a challenge. But Heather is undeterred and continues to pursue a variety of avenues to help secure the vital services needed by her youth.
Hiking and physical activity has been a technique CASA Paul Deese has used to break through the barriers of getting to know his two youth. He said of the teen brothers he is matched with, “Men can be reluctant when talking about feelings or emotions and they'd often grunt answers at me. But being a man myself, I know the best way to typically get men comfortable and talking is through some sort of physical exertion. So we’d usually do a hike or other physical activity. After working up a sweat, they started opening up a bit more.”
Pete Piferi and his CASA youth spend much of their time on life skills and the transition to financial independence. Pete shares, “Together, we started going through brochures and talking about different trades and job options. However every option for work, trade apprenticeships, or further education required a car so that’s where we began.” With Pete’s encouragement, his youth began studying for his driving test. Pete helped him learn about the controls on his car’s dashboard and coached him on parallel parking tactics. Pete helped coordinate logistics to get his youth to the DMV with a borrowed car for his driving test.
In addition to their visits with their youth a couple of times a month, CASAs check-in with their Advocate Supervisors on a monthly basis and are required to submit a court report on behalf of their youth two times a year. This report has been streamlined so most advocates say it’s easy to complete. Other CASA activities include informative continuing education classes and frequent opportunities to connect with fellow CASAs either online or in person.
Angela Wintheiser sums up the important role of a CASA to the community and to kids.. She says, “I would encourage anyone who is considering becoming a CASA to do it. Over 200 Orange County kids are on the CASA waiting list who don’t have anyone. High school graduation rates increase from just over 50% to over 90% with the presence of a CASA. That’s how we change lives and change our world. We are in a big hurt right now and these kids are our future.”
To learn more about becoming a CASA visit our website.