CASA OF PUEBLO
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to advocate for abused and neglected children by providing a voice in the courts and in the community through trained volunteer advocates.
About This Cause
CASA is an acronym that stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA is a national program developed first in Seattle, Washington in 1977. There are over 900 CASA programs around the nation and twelve CASA programs here in the state. CASA of Pueblo was originally established in 1996 as part of the Pueblo Child Advocacy Center and operated under the fiscal and policy guidelines of that program. CASA, at that time, was formed due to community concerns about the number of children in out-of-home placements and concerns about the length of time that a child was in placement. CASA of Pueblo originated before the federal Expedited Permanency Planning laws were passed, which limited the amount of time that a child could be in placement before permanency was established. At the end of 2001, many changes were being made at the Pueblo County Child Advocacy Center. Additionally, CASA of Pueblo was experiencing the need for independent expansion. In January 2002, Chief District Court Judge, Dennis Maes, made the decision that CASA of Pueblo would be formed as its own private, non-profit agency and a steering committee was formed. Since CASA of Pueblo was already serving children at the time of the move from the Child Advocacy Center, CASA of Colorado Springs became a fiscal agent for CASA of Pueblo and provided a part-time volunteer coordinator to CASA of Pueblo until independent operations could be established. A steering committee of 21 members was formed in January 2002. The steering committee consisted of Guardians ad Litem, the Court Facilitator, child welfare administrators and supervisors, district attorney representatives, previous CASA volunteers, other attorneys, local business owners, and other non-profit executive directors. Out of the 21 original members of the steering committee, 12 members proceeded to the Board of Directors in May 2002. CASA of Pueblo was awarded non-profit (501 [c] [3]) status by the IRS in May 2002. CASA of Pueblo serves children ranging in age from 0-18 involved in Dependency and Neglect court actions because of allegations of abuse and/or neglect. CASA volunteers have to be specially trained to identify safety and risk factors that lead to child abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers work with children who have special needs or disabilities and are also trained in the areas of cultural competence and working with families who have elements of substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, etc. In October 2012, CASA launched its Fostering Futures program which serves youth 15-19. This program provides specialized training and support that enables CASA volunteers to provide the advocacy that older youth need to successfully transition from the child welfare system to independent living. The program is built around the framework of the Fostering Connections to Success Act, to help youth identify supportive, lifelong adult connections, and to develop specific plans for their transition to become independent, successful adults. A key principle of the training and work with older youth is the “possible selves” model, based on research out of the University of Michigan, to help young people achieve their full potential. The Fostering Futures program recognizes the plight of older youth who leave the child welfare system with seriously inadequate support systems or plans in place. Fostering Futures provides a framework for CASA volunteers to guide these older youth through intensive goal setting and planning for emancipation. Through Fostering Futures, CASA volunteers help to identify support systems as well as gaps that youth need to address in order to be successful when they leave the child welfare system. Fostering Futures recognizes that advocating for older youth within the child welfare system is different than advocating for young children. While the CASA volunteers advocating for older youth carry out the same primary activities as those working with younger children (assessment, facilitation, advocacy and monitoring), advocacy for youth demands a different skill-set. For example, with young children, the focus of advocacy is on achieving permanence in a home where adults will take care of children’s needs. For older youth, the focus is self-sufficiency and achieving permanence for the youth–not always in a home with a family but having a network of support around a young person that allows him or her to establish permanence. As a result, the goal of advocacy shifts to ensuring that resources and services are in place to prepare the youth for successful, independent living. The Fostering Futures curriculum draws on extensive research, especially around the concept of “possible selves”– that the imagining of and planning for positive future goals is a strong motivator and predictor for achieving those goals. Using the lens of “possible selves,” CASA volunteers work with youth using several guiding questions, such as: • What do I expect to become? • What do I wish to become? • What do I fear to become? The volunteers and youth use these guiding questions to develop and pursue short and long-term goals. Research conducted by Daphna Oyserman, Ph.D., a Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, has demonstrated that asking such simple questions, setting goals, and meeting deadlines on these goals can have a profound impact on educational outcomes, social skills, and rates of depression. The Fostering Futures curriculum is applying this research-backed approach to improving advocacy for older youth in the child welfare system.