In this episode, we're thrilled to be in conversation with Dr. Jared Williams and Stephen Fowler from Family Service Center , an organization that provides counseling, parenting education, and prevention services to families in Southeast Texas communities. Our discussion dives into some of the biggest challenges facing families and explores insights from FSC's Fatherhood Program on engaging with fathers in our advocacy. Support the show...
Jan 31, 2025•29 min
In this episode, we sit down with two incredible advocates, Sarah Crocket and Stephanie Battaglia, to dive into Texas CASA's legislative priorities for the 89th legislative session kicking off on January 14th, 2025. Sarah and Stephanie walk us through the process of identifying key priorities, share what’s on the docket for the upcoming session, and discuss how CASA volunteers can get involved in systems-level advocacy to support these efforts. They also highlight the crucial connection between ...
Dec 12, 2024•42 min
In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome the wonderful Heather Cantamessa, Director of Family Impact at Akin . Heather draws on her work with the transformative Parents for Parents program, a model of peer support that empowers families involved with Child Protective Services, and discusses the vital role CASA advocates can play in facilitating communication and collaboration between parents and other parties in the system. Support the show...
Oct 31, 2024•41 min
Access to adequate, affordable childcare can be a major challenge for working families across Texas. Joining us today is the wonderful Gabrielle Cloudy, Daycare Coordinator at the Department of Family and Protective Services, to shine a light on the Department's daycare program and what CASA volunteers can do to help facilitate access to childcare for families involved with DFPS. Support the show
Jul 31, 2024•29 min
In this episode, we’re thrilled to be in conversation with Dr. Heather Taussig, the developer and director of the Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program. Dr. Taussig gives us an insightful glimpse into this evidence-based mentoring and skill-building program created for pre-teen and teenage youth with child welfare involvement. Tune in as we explore the positive impacts of the Fostering Healthy Futures program and the lessons it offers for supporting and empowering youth, including some wonderf...
Jun 28, 2024•35 min
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 pow...
Apr 03, 2024•40 min
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. Support the show...
Feb 26, 2024•40 min
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 . Support the show...
Jan 30, 2024•32 min
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 r...
Dec 29, 2023•34 min
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 ...
Nov 30, 2023•37 min
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...
Nov 01, 2023•31 min
In this episode, we’re delighted to be in conversation with Laura Villarreal, the Neurodevelopmental Program Specialist with the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Laura shines a light on the web of services and supports that the Texas Workforce Commission offers for teens and young adults in foster care to help expand their access to economic opportunities and supportive mentoring relationships with a goal of establishing life-giving stability as they transition to y...
Sep 28, 2023•30 min
As the families we walk alongside embark on a new school year, let's pause to reflect on how CASA advocates can have a powerful impact on increasing educational stability and success for youth in foster care. In this episode, we're joined by the brilliant Chantal Hinds, an attorney, policy entrepreneur, and an advocate for the well-being of students involved in the foster system. Chantal shares valuable insights from her research into improving educational wellbeing for youth in care, as well as...
Aug 17, 2023•48 min
As CASAs, we know how critical it is that parents and family members have access to the information and support needed to successfully navigate what can be a complex and overwhelming child welfare system. In this episode, we're deeply honored to be joined by Sarah Bryant, managing attorney for The Family Helpline . A project of the Texas Legal Services Center, the Helpline exists to stand in the gap for families seeking information and clarity about the CPS legal process. Sarah brings her extens...
Jun 28, 2023•40 min
With 47% of children in foster care falling into the 0 to 5 age range, it's critical that we're up to date on best practices in advocating for young children and strategies for effectively supporting their families. Powerhouse duo Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend return for part two of this conversation with a focus on advocating for the educational and developmental needs of four- and five-year-olds, as well as trauma-informed approaches to supporting families...
May 31, 2023•30 min
In part one of this two-part conversation, we're thrilled to be joined by the seasoned team of Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend to draw on their experience leading a trailblazing advocacy program for children five and younger and their families. We’ll be talking about best practices in advocating for the developmentally-specific needs of children in this age group and how CASA advocates can work to support and partner with their parents and families. Support th...
Apr 27, 2023•35 min
How can we support the youth we walk alongside in cultivating resilience across the essential, interconnected domains of life? In this episode, we're joined by powerhouse CASA advocate and social entrepreneur Jordan Bartlett for a conversation about showing up, building rapport, and creating authentic relationships with youth. Jordan draws on his experience as co-founder of Doing Good Works , a Texas-based company focused on creating sustainable solutions and helping individuals achieve their be...
Mar 31, 2023•33 min
The minimum sufficient level of care or MSL is a critical polestar for CASA advocacy. How can advocates ensure that we are fully embracing the MSL in our decision-making and our recommendations to the court? Drawing on her legal background as an attorney and mediator as well as her decade+ tenure with CASA, the brilliant Leslie Cocke joins us to unpack ways in which the MSL can be an important safeguard in our advocacy and to explore how CASA volunteers can strengthen their MSL lens. Click here ...
Feb 24, 2023•22 min
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Texas CASA is deeply honored to have Rhonda Kuykendall discussing what advocates should know and can do when it comes to preventing child trafficking and supporting youth who have experienced the trauma of trafficking. Some trainings and resources mentioned in the episode include Innovations in Advocacy to Combat Child Sex Trafficking ; Advocacy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children ; and How to Talk About Human Trafficking with C...
Jan 25, 2023•19 min
Foster and kinship caregivers play an incredibly important role in caring for the children and youth we walk alongside. How can CASA advocates ensure that these caregivers have the support they need while engaging them as valuable team members in our advocacy for children and families? Joining us for this conversation is the phenomenal Naomi Sawyer, Advocate Supervisor and CFE Lead at CASA of Hill County. Naomi draws on her years of leadership in advocacy for youth and families in addition to he...
Aug 15, 2022•25 min
At Texas CASA, we believe in learning from the stories and leadership of those who have experienced our systems firsthand. In this episode, we’re joined by Renequa Burch, a mother whose family has been impacted by the Texas foster care system in a deeply agonizing way. Renequa’s experiences offer crucial insights about the importance of engaging meaningfully with parents and family members from the very beginning of appointment, the power of effective communication and collaboration, the need to...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 3 min
How can we learn from the stories of those who experienced our foster care system firsthand, and move towards more compassionate and holistic advocacy for youth and families? Join us for an inspirational conversation with Collaborative Family Engagement Coach Maria McCord about the importance of empathy in our work with children and families, and the lifesaving power of connection. Support the show
Mar 02, 2022•23 min
Our guest Lisa Merkel-Holguin has written that "children and youth, in systems that are designed to serve them, often experience their needs and opinions as being overlooked in the context of planning for them." Join us for part two of this episode featuring Anita Horner and Lisa Merkel-Holguin to learn more about creative and meaningful ways young people’s needs and interests could be better centered within case planning meetings and decision-making processes. Support the show...
Jan 05, 2022•23 min
Too often, child welfare professionals' good intentions of protecting children or youth from difficult conversations can have the unintended result of excluding the young person from decision-making that profoundly impacts them. Texas CASA is deeply honored to welcome the powerhouse duo Lisa Merkel-Holguin and Anita Horner from The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect for this two-part episode to talk about how CASA advocates can empower youth to participate m...
Nov 22, 2021•20 min
Understanding the desires of the child or youth is central to best interest advocacy. How can CASA advocates partner with youth to ensure their voices are heard and their perspectives are valued? In this episode we're joined by two wonderful guests from Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), Prince Hayward and Josue Rodriguez, sharing their expertise about how advocates can work to meaningfully include youth voices and input in our advocacy. Now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, St...
Nov 01, 2021•25 min
The CASA guiding principles stress that strengthening families, through recommendations for services, supports, visitation and communications, is in the child’s best interests to achieve stability and/or reunification. In this episode, we reflect on how CASA advocates can help bend the arc of child welfare practice to become more fully strengths-based and family-centered. The wonderful Dr. Natalie Beck Aguilera shares evidence-based strategies for engaging with families and explores why collabor...
Aug 04, 2021•33 min
The CASA guiding principles emphasize that if a child is removed from their family of origin, the child should be placed with a relative whenever safely possible and in the child’s best interests. This week we're thrilled to share a conversation with The Honorable Leonard Edwards, who joins us to talk about his recent article on the urgency of placing children with relatives . A retired judge now working as a consultant and educator on judicial best practices, Judge Edwards served as a Superior ...
Jun 28, 2021•20 min
Research shows that youth in foster care are at high risk of dropping out of school and are less likely to attend or graduate from college than peers who did not experience foster care. CASA volunteers can play a powerful role when it comes to supporting these youth in meeting their educational goals, including access to higher education. In this episode of CASA on the Go , we're joined by Jessica Aleman, LCSW, to talk about Island Harbor, a wraparound program here in Texas that exists to empowe...
May 04, 2021•15 min
This special episode of CASA on the Go comes from our Distinguished Speaker Series, where we had the amazing opportunity to host conversations with trailblazers in equity and child welfare. In this episode, Kevin Campbell, developer of the Family Finding model, and Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs discuss the role of compassion in child welfare work, and how CASA volunteers can influence the quality of justice experienced by families involved in the child welfare system. View Kevin’s inspirational t...
Mar 30, 2021•14 min
Domestic violence impacts many families involved in the child welfare system, and this is an area where CASA volunteers can make a powerful impact through informed recommendations about appropriate services and supports. In this episode, we're joined by Claire Sudolsky of the Texas Council on Family Violence as she shares her expertise about how volunteers can best advocate for families healing from domestic violence. Support the show...
Jan 04, 2021•30 min
