CASANYS Initiatives
 


 

 

 

 

 

 
 
CASA AND EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY
The Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children

CASANYS' participation in the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children's education advocacy initiative has included being involved in statewide education meetings to review legal and procedural concerns relative to the needs of children in care, and to share strategies for mobilizing to better meet those needs. A pilot program in Onondaga County (Syracuse, NY) focused on creating a better awareness of and response to the educational needs of children in foster care, and included the following components:

 

  • Case Review – Determine what questions volunteers are asking relative to education, how these questions are being answered, what actions volunteers take as a result, and with what outcomes. Volunteers provided educational advocacy on existing CASA cases and reported on the impact. They identified effective strategies and additional areas for advocacy.

 

  • New Cases – Onondaga CASA worked with local judges to assign new cases with identified education needs to CASA.

 

  • Volunteer Training – Assessed the capabilities of current volunteers to participate in the educational advocacy project; recruited and trained new volunteers; and provided intensive training on education advocacy to new and existing CASA volunteers and staff.

 

  • Collaborations – Met with other stakeholders in the county to discuss the project and explore new partnerships.

 

  • Dissemination – Shared the knowledge gained from this focused effort with the statewide network of CASA programs and with others interested in improving the system's ability to effectively advocate for the educational needs of children in foster care.

 

The project has also included a two-day statewide training for all CASA directors. Regional trainings on educational advocacy were held in 2004-2005 for CASA staff and volunteers as well as court staff, preventive and protective services workers and supervisors, law guardians, school district staff, and others. CASANYS continues to provide updates at statewide program directors' meetings and electronically. Most recently, this included detailed information on the changes resulting from the reauthorization of IDEA and the educational implications of the Permanency Bill.


Last Updated 12/08/05
  

 

CASANYS
32 Essex Street

Albany, NY 12206
Phone: 518-426-5354
Toll-Free: 877-80-VOICE
Fax: 518-426-5348
E-mail: mail@casanys.org