DC CASA--court appointed special advocate volunteers

[Anonymous]

Hi,
Does anyone have experience being a CASA in the DC child welfare system? I've been involved in other jurisdictions but would be interested to know people's experiences around here. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I see that you're not getting any responses. I'm not sure this is place where you're likely to find many CASAs. I was a CASA for a decade in Montgomery County but I can't speak to the DC program.

Maybe you can call the DC office and ask to speak with them, a case supervisor, a current volunteer or two, etc...

[Anonymous]

You might try posting in the jobs/careers sections. Lots of lawyers on this site, maybe some of them will have some insights.

[Anonymous]

I was a CASA in DC! I was pretty disappointed with the training and supervision but it was good preparation for the disheartening nature of absolutely everything else about the case, and everything I learned about foster care in general as a result. I could not believe how inefficient, poorly trained and supervised, and just offensive many of the people involved in the case could be. With that said, I really liked the kid, even if his situation and his attitude could be frustrating at times. I think there were some parts of the case where I was able to be helpful and get folks to work together, or at least to have more information about what was going on. There were a few smart and dedicated people on the case (the judge, the second GAL, a social worker who stayed for about a month). After a while, I was one of the people who'd been on the case the longest (it doesn't take too long since there's a lot of turnover) so knowing a bit about the case's history was valuable.

This makes the whole thing sound awful, I realize. Several people involved said this was a particularly challenging case, but I don't have much to compare it to. I will say that I felt respected by the other people on the case and by the kid and his family, and that I'm sure people's opinions about being a CASA depend heavily on their individual case and how they get along with the CASA supervisor. It hasn't dampened my interest in adopting from foster care--if anything, it has made me realize what I'd have to put up with, but that the kids are worth it and they really need effective advocates.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the process of applying to be a CASA in a MD suburb. I'd love to hear more insights from former volunteers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the process of applying to be a CASA in a MD suburb. I'd love to hear more insights from former volunteers.

The process and experience can vary significantly from county to county as they are county based programs. (See pp's experiences in different regions.)

So if you're talking about Montgomery County I can tell you a lot. I know very little about the other programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a CASA in DC! I was pretty disappointed with the training and supervision but it was good preparation for the disheartening nature of absolutely everything else about the case, and everything I learned about foster care in general as a result. I could not believe how inefficient, poorly trained and supervised, and just offensive many of the people involved in the case could be. With that said, I really liked the kid, even if his situation and his attitude could be frustrating at times. I think there were some parts of the case where I was able to be helpful and get folks to work together, or at least to have more information about what was going on. There were a few smart and dedicated people on the case (the judge, the second GAL, a social worker who stayed for about a month). After a while, I was one of the people who'd been on the case the longest (it doesn't take too long since there's a lot of turnover) so knowing a bit about the case's history was valuable.

This makes the whole thing sound awful, I realize. Several people involved said this was a particularly challenging case, but I don't have much to compare it to. I will say that I felt respected by the other people on the case and by the kid and his family, and that I'm sure people's opinions about being a CASA depend heavily on their individual case and how they get along with the CASA supervisor. It hasn't dampened my interest in adopting from foster care--if anything, it has made me realize what I'd have to put up with, but that the kids are worth it and they really need effective advocates.