The Backpack Is Packed. But Is Everything Else Okay? How CASA Advocacy Follows Children Into the School Year

For most families, the beginning of a new school year comes with familiar routines: new shoes, school supplies, packed lunches, bus schedules, homework and the inevitable adjustment to earlier bedtimes.

For children involved in the child welfare system, going back to school can carry an entirely different set of challenges.

A child may be starting the school year from a different home than the one they left in May. They may have changed schools, therapists, caregivers or visitation schedules. They may be adjusting to a new placement while simultaneously being expected to walk into a classroom, learn new material, make friends and simply be a kid.

That is where CASA advocacy follows them.

Advocacy Doesn't Stop at the Courthouse

When people hear "Court Appointed Special Advocate," it is understandable that they picture a courtroom. Court is certainly an important part of the work, but some of the most meaningful advocacy happens far away from the courthouse. As school begins, our CASA volunteers are paying attention to another important part of a child's life: education. They are asking questions. How is the child adjusting to the school year? Is attendance consistent? Has the child's teacher noticed changes in behavior? Are there academic concerns? Does the child have an IEP or 504 Plan, and are the appropriate supports in place? Has important information followed the child if they changed schools? Are caregivers, teachers, therapists and other members of the child's team communicating? Sometimes advocacy means identifying a major concern. Other times, it is simply noticing the small things before they become big things.

One Child. A Lot of Moving Pieces.

Children involved in CHINS cases often have many adults involved in their lives. There may be parents, relatives, foster parents, teachers, therapists, case managers, attorneys, service providers, visitation supervisors and others all holding different pieces of information. The CASA has a unique responsibility: to independently gather information, look at the entire picture and advocate for what is in the child's best interest. That means a conversation with a teacher matters. A report card matters. An attendance record matters. A change in behavior matters. A child's excitement about joining a school activity matters, too. Advocacy is not only about identifying what is going wrong. It is also about recognizing what is going right and helping preserve the people, activities, relationships and routines that are helping a child succeed.

Sometimes Consistency Is the Most Important Thing We Bring

Child welfare cases can involve tremendous change. Professionals may change. Placements can change. Services may begin and end. Court hearings come and go. A CASA volunteer is asked to remain with a child's case through its resolution whenever possible. That consistency matters. Over time, a CASA may become one of the people who remembers where a child started. They remember the difficult semester. They remember the teacher who finally connected with them. They remember when reading was a struggle. They remember the first good report card. They remember the activity the child couldn't stop talking about. And when decisions are being made about that child's future, CASA helps make sure those pieces of the child's story are not lost.

This Is What Advocacy Looks Like

There isn't always a major announcement attached to CASA's work. Sometimes there isn't a fundraiser to promote, an award to celebrate or a photograph that captures what happened. Sometimes CASA advocacy looks like an email to a teacher. A school meeting. Reviewing records. A conversation with a therapist. Following up on a referral. Checking whether something discussed at the last meeting actually happened. Listening to a child. Writing a court report. Asking one more question. And then asking it again when necessary. Those seemingly ordinary moments are the work. At CASA of Jefferson County, our volunteers are appointed to advocate for children who deserve to have someone paying attention to the whole picture. As another school year gets underway, that means our advocacy goes into classrooms, meetings, appointments and conversations throughout Jefferson County. 

Because ultimately, our job is not simply to know what is happening in a child's case.

Our job is to know what is happening in their life.

And school is a very important part of it.