We pay an emotional price for doing the work that we do. Repeated and chronic exposure to large volumes of difficult stories can erode our sense of empathy for others. We can become hardened and desensitized to suffering – or conversely, we can become swallowed up by their pain. Since the demand often outweighs what… Read More »National CASA Webinar: Empathic Strain & Secondary Trauma 101: Understanding the Essentials

Poverty is a common thread across the lives of the children and families involved in the child welfare system. Its impact can have deep and long lasting impact and consequences. In most states, neglect cannot be established if failure to provide for a child’s needs is due only to poverty. Poverty may still contribute to… Read More »National CASA/GAL Book Club: “The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore’s Racial Divide”

Our next CASA Book Club selection is Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. This is a memoir written by a father as he navigates the struggles of his son's addiction to methamphetamine. Our discussion meeting will be on Monday, 1/10/22 at 5:30PM. This will be in person at the Union CASA Office unless we have increment… Read More »CASA Book Club: Beautiful Boy

Adolescence is a stage of life with specific health and developmental needs. A successful transition from childhood to adulthood can be difficult even under the best circumstances. For youth in foster care, particularly those affected by substance use disorders (SUDs), this transition can be further complicated by a lack of services and supports tailored to… Read More »National CASA Webinar: Collaborative Strategies to Improve Outcomes for Adolescents Affected by Substance Use Disorders and Child Welfare

Maintaining appropriate boundaries is fundamental to managing one’s health and well-being. When working with children and families our desire to help, which is a positive, can lead to the blurring of lines and roles/responsibilities. Having healthy boundaries is key to managing stress, avoiding burnout and supporting sound advocacy work. In this webinar we will: Explore… Read More »National CASA Webinar: Defining the Line: Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries

In this webinar we will explore the connection between the potential to reduce child welfare system involvement through the implementation of poverty-reduction strategies based on existing social policy packages (e.g. Earned Income Tax Credit, SNAP, federal minimum wage). In 2019 the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a “roadmap” to reduce child poverty by as… Read More »National CASA Webinar: The Effects of Child Poverty Reductions on Child Protective Services Involvement and Placement into Out-of-Home Care

Join Ashley and Lynne on 1/25/22 at 5:30PM, while we provide some tips and review some reminders on Optima. RSVP to ashley@casamideastmo.org by 1/18/22.

Join Angie on 1/26/22 at 6PM to discuss engaging your CASA youth in their goal planning process. Learn more about the CASA Independent Living Assessment and how this tool can help your youth develop goals. RSVP to angie@casamideastmo.org by 1/24/22.  

This webinar will explore the intersection of family economic instability and involvement with child welfare and the potential for recrafting how families and children are supported. There is a growing body of evidence showing the associations between economic hardship, cumulative material hardship and income shocks with child abuse and neglect and child protective services involvement.… Read More »National CASA Webinar: Economic and Concrete Supports as Core to Family and Child Well-being

Data on Native American youth, including adolescent populations, adolescent development, and common behaviors. Information on how Native American youth differ from non-native youth in areas such as cultural identity and family history. Trauma, including historical, intergenerational, and adolescent traumas will be addressed, as will barriers to treatment. Webinar will conclude with culturally- and age-appropriate suggestions… Read More »National CASA Webinar: Substance Use among Native American Youth

Medical marijuana has become a trending topic among our CASA cases. Join us if you are interested in learning more about practices surrounding medical marijuana or if you have experience with the medical marijuana process that you can share.

This presentation seeks to engage with parents and caregivers of young people of all ages to help identify and build youth resiliency skills. During the event, all attendees will learn, use, and practice youth resiliency skills to be proactive in young people’s lives. We know that this is a stressful time for everyone, especially youth,… Read More »Community Training: Prevent+Ed Building Resiliency Skills in Kids of All Ages: A Parent/Caregiver Approach