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New Year's Resolutions for CASAs

1. I will never make a promise I can't keep. This includes letting my youth know that I am a Mandated Reporter and that I will be assigned to him as long as he is a Dependent of the Court (unless I have to leave for personal reasons).

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The Holiday Blues

The holidays. What a great time of year. At least it is if you have a happy family and know that someone will buy you that perfect gift. Does that sound like what's in store for your CASA kid? Not likely.

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Emancipation Preparation

Many of the children in the CASA program are teenagers, and many of these teenagers will emancipate (become independent of "the system") when they are 18 years old or soon after. If you are a CASA for one of these teens, the following information may help you and your teen prepare for emancipation.

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Working with Teens

Twenty percent of SFCASA volunteers are assigned to youth between the ages of 15 and 19. That means that about twenty percent of you are actively trying to help teens cope.

Most teenagers feel very strongly that they should be able to do what they think is right for themselves. They may want to drop out of school, have a baby, join a gang, or engage in other high-risk behaviors like drug use and sexual promiscuity. They may even want to reunify with their highly dysfunctional family and continue a pattern of substance abuse and criminal behavior into another generation. A CASA must form a strong alliance with a youth before he or she can be accepted as a voice of wisdom rather than one of judgment. This is the first task of a volunteer assigned to a teen. It is often the one that is most difficult to accomplish.

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CASA Kid Goes to Basketball Camp at Lake Tahoe

My CASA boy, whom I'll call Joey, is a seventeen-year old who has been living in group homes. He got the thrill of his lifetime this summer. Through the efforts of Matt Galvin, Leslie Adams and Jessica Brown from a local, private high school, and some help from CASA Sunshine and Daydreams funding, he was able to attend the Super Skills Basketball Camp at Lake Tahoe.

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According to Our Bond: Defining Stages in the CASA / Child Relationship

As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, you face a paradox at the very heart of your relationship with your child. On the one hand, you must form a strong attachment so that you can speak for him or her in court. On the other hand, you must remain neutral and objective so that you can separate from her at the end of the case without causing heartache or loss.

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Effects of Abuse on Children

The effects of abuse, neglect, and sexual molestation are different for each young victim. The age of the child, how the child interprets the behavior towards him or her, the child's survival instinct, whether there is a significant other person who might provide a positive model for the child, the extent and consistency of the harmful adult behavior: these are factors which influence the child's eventual reactions to abuse and neglect.

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Reactive Attachment Disorders

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome babies are born with distinct facial characteristics created by the effects of alcohol on the bones as they are forming on the 19th or 20th day of pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) babies are born with other problems (especially neurological) but do not have the facial signs. They may have an IQ anywhere from 30 to 130, but are likely to have such problems as an unusually small head, stunted growth, hyperactivity, distractibility, explosive temper, difficulty forming relationship, and specific learning disorders.

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Street Gang Dynamics

We will try to address issues of importance to parents, teachers, counselors, and other interested persons in attempting to understand the growing menace of street gangs. Information from many locales across the nation was utilized in the investigation of America's own "Guerilla Warfare in the Urban Streets."

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Suicide Prevention

Loss is the number one trigger to suicide. Clearly the children, parents, and professionals we work with every day experience extraordinary losses. Therefore I thought it might be helpful for me to write an article for our advocates. I encourage you, if you have not already, to find out what your local suicide prevention number is and to identify others in the community who have received training in assessment so that you can pass that local information on to your volunteers.

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Avoiding CASA Burnout

What Is Burn-out?

You recognize burn-out by the way you feel inside: tired; discouraged, flat, hopeless, maybe even numb. Your sleep may be disturbed by anxiety dreams: cars going out of control, oceans threatening to overwhelm you, houses with empty rooms that you've forgotten about, small animals needing care.

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Books Help

Talking with CASA Volunteer Steve Boullianne recently, I was reminded of how powerful books can be in a child's emotional life. Steve had been talking with his 11-year old CASA boy's teacher about how "Joey" was doing in school. The teacher remarked that Joey had become particularly interested in one book, which told a story about a boy who watched a mean man hurt two smaller children. The hero of the story then managed to punish the bad man. Not surprisingly, this story closely replicates some events in Joey'slife. Of course, Joey was never able to beat up the bad man who had abused his cousins, but the story helped Joey deal with both his wishes and his fears.

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Clothing Allowance

Have you ever wondered about the rules and regulations concerning your child’s clothing allowance? Kris Niiyama, former SFCASA Case Supervisor, checked with an Eligibility Worker at the Department of Human Services to learn how the system works.

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Writing Your Court Report

Call your minor’s Child Welfare Worker (CWW) and attorney when you are preparing your report to let them know what you plan to say. Ask the CWW for a copy of his/her report (he/she will receive a copy of yours).

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What is a De Facto Parent

De facto parent status is a legal device that gives an individual the right to be notified of hearings for a particular child in Dependency Court and to participate with their own attorney when appropriate.

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Educational Advocacy

Foster Youth Services Program (FYSP) has been established as a collaborative effort between the Juvenile Court, the Department of Human Services, and San Francisco Unified School District. The mission of FYSP is to better meet the specific educational needs of foster youth. Through academic case management, database development and advocacy, the program will improve the chances for foster children’s academic success.

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Advocating For Educational Services for Your CASA Child

At SFCASA, we stress three areas of advocacy for the children whom we serve. The first and most important is for a safe and permanent home. The second is for regular health examinations and treatment, including dental and mental healthcare. The third is for appropriate educational services. As an SFCASA volunteer, you will be asked to learn all that you can about your child's school placement and performance.

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Foster Children's Rights

The National Center for Youth Law has published an informational pamphlet entitled "My Rights in Foster Care," designed to give children basic information on their rights regarding legal proceedings, foster care placement, health care and education.

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Getting Past Disappointments

Whether you knew it or not, when you chose to become a CASA volunteer, you chose to look straight into the face of the most painful truths of our society. The child to whom you are assigned did not choose the circumstances of his life. He is instead shaped by the bad things that have happened to him, as well as by any love and care that have come his way.

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Independent Living Skills

It is imperative to get your youth prepared for emancipation and this is where Independent Living Skills comes into play. ILS strives to prepare youth to become independent, to equip them with the necessary living skills to survive once they are no longer dependents of the court. ILS programs will now be provided through the Department of Human Services and the Community College Foundation.

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Love and Sex

Sixty percent of all teenagers in California are sexually active and, technically, all of them are breaking the law.

Yes, it is against the law in California for minors to have sex, or for anyone over 18 to have sex with a minor unless they are married to him or her. Therefore, even if minors are in love and are choosing to be sexual together, the act is legally considered to be rape. It is legally impossible for a minor to consent to sexual intercourse.

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CASAs As Mandated Reporters

As a CASA volunteer you may find yourself in a position to observe and hear matters which families wish to keep private. Your desire to respect their privacy may be in conflict with your role as a mandated reporter of child abuse and neglect.

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Volunteer Rewards in Tax Law

CASA volunteers are working to help kids, not to take tax deductions. To help reduce your taxes, however, these hints about deductions are available to volunteers. CASA Volunteers can deduct certain expenses directly related to their volunteer work on their tax return.

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Advocating For Your Child In School

Before you approach the school, you should establish a cordial and trusting relationship with the minor and his/her caregivers. Let them know that you intend to get in touch with the school to make sure that your minor is receiving all needed services. Some families become defensive and resentful of the intrusion. Use all the tact you have to maintain trust. Be sensitive to the family’s educational expectations, which may be different from your own.

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Tackling Truancy—One Child At A Time

What do you do when you learn that your child is late for school almost every day, or that he misses school two or three times a week?

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Taking Your CASA to Your Home or Office

Every month or so, we get a call from one of you who wants to know if you can take your CASA child to your home. You usually have a good reason to want to do this – to practice on the computer, start a gardening project, to have a place to meet that is warm and comfortable – these are all very valid and wonderful ideas. But taking your minor to your home is strictly against the rules.

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Volunteers in Court

Please follow these procedures when appearing in court to advocate for your child.

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Youth Perspectives on the Child Welfare System

Have you ever thought about how your CASA child felt when he was removed from his home?

In a recent series of Focus Groups conducted by the California Youth Connection, foster youth from all over the state of California were asked about their experiences in the child welfare system. Statewide Coordinator Janet Knipe reports that, "More than anything else, the youth objected to the lack of information they were given about what was going on, why they were being removed, and what was going to happen to them." (Reshaping Child Welfare Policy: Youth Perspectives. California Youth Connection Focus Groups Report, 1997.)

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