CASA Volunteers: Keeping Watch Over Children in the System
A description of the CASA volunteers and the CASA program in Arlington, Virginia and its plans for expansion in the next year. ++++++++++ Judges Are Satisfied with CASA Volunteers
The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA) surveyed judges who hear dependency cases about their view on the role played by CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers in supporting judicial decision-making and court processes. From the survey:
- Judges are most likely to assign CASA volunteers their most difficult and complex cases.
When assigning a case to a volunteer, judges particularly consider the instability of the child’s current placement, conflicting case information, concerns about implementation of services, and extreme neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse.
Judges clearly value input from CASA/GAL volunteers in their court decisions. Vounteer input is most highly valued on issues related to placement stability and the permanence and safety of the children while in placement.
Judges find CASA volunteers to be very effective in a wide range of activities that support court processes.
Click on the link above to read an article about the survey. "Evaluation of Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardians ad Litem Volunteer Impact," and/or to download a copy of this 37 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Discarded Lab Chemicals Stymie Volunteer Highway Cleanup Plans
Authorities found more than 100 methamphetamine labs in ditches and wood across Ohio last year, and they believe many more are out there. The abandoned labs contain chemicals that can burn skin, sear lungs or leave someone blind and volunteer groups are wary of what they may run into in volunteer cleanups.
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Recruiting and Retaining CASA Volunteers of Color
With a grant from the National CASA Association, the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) in New York has published a manual on how to recruit and retain CASA volunteers of color. The manual is available for download at the CCA web site. Click on the link above.
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Working With Volunteers Neighboring This web site helps volunteers to develop programs that help community members help themselves, leverage the skills and talents of community residents, and give local residents opportunities to help their neighbors. There are two useful downloadable documents here: The site is the joint product of a partnership between the Points of Light Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. ++++++++++ Experience Corps Experience Corps members act as tutors, mentors, homework helpers, and activity leaders in after-school programs. The organization has published a tool kit to help engage older adults in after-school programs. The kit includes actual sample materials from four Experience Corps after-school projects in Boston, Washington DC, Kansas City, and San Francisco and is downloadable at the site. ++++++++++ I have before me a sample copy of The Volunteer Management Report, a monthly newsletter being offered for an initial subscription price of $88 per year ($119 per year regularly). It offers articles on recruitment, motivation, suggestions on how to get volunteers to show up, descriptions of volunteer programs. The lead article in the sample copy I received is on how to discipline and possibly terminate a volunteer. The back page of each monthly issue is written for volunteers and can be xeroxed as a handout. There’s no internet address for this publication so call the publisher at 712-329-3010 or fax 712-239-2166 +++++++++ Volunteers in Prevention, Probation & Prisons, Inc - Organization for professionals and others interested in justice volunteerism. It conducts workshops and provides networking opportunities for professionals who are using, or would like to utilize volunteers in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. It offers a number of perks to members for a $49 annual membership fee: - The VIP Examiner, a semi-annual newsletter for members only,
- a resource library for Justice volunteer management, and
- a professional membership resource directory.
Annual Training Institute
This year's institute is in Robinson, Illinois on October 25-27. Three training tracks are offered as well as the Show Me Training Series of seven workshops for those starting a new volunteer mentoring program. Contact VIP by email at vip-pac@bigfoot.com, by phone: 313-964-1110, by fax: 313-964-1145. The VIP web site is being updated and should be complete in about a month. In the meantime, its still worth a look. VIP on the Web |
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