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CASA Program Notes: August-September 2021

BY MARILYN MCQUEENEY, CASA PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Marilyn McQueeneyLooking Back at the Summer Months of 2021

It’s hard to believe that we are in August already.  This year seems to be flying by.  The last two months have been very busy at CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County.

  • 48 new children came into care in June and July.
  • So far this year our staff and 283 Advocates have served 611 children.
  • Also in the last two months, we have had 20 new Advocates take their first case – thank you!
  • Most importantly, we continue to serve 100% of the children in care in Montgomery County.

CASA Office Schedule, Court, and Gatherings

Your CASA staff continues to work remotely some of the time, but we are also in the office several days a week. With court being in person at this time, we are in the office more. Our new Advocate trainings are being held in the office now, and the last two swearing-ins having been in person also. We are still offering a number of trainings and gatherings virtually. Our Thursday gatherings of Advocates and Staff are a great opportunity to connect and to respond to questions and concerns with cases or with Advocacy in general.  If you have not had a chance to join us on these, please check our online calendar for the link to join! We would love to see you at the next gathering on August 12th!

Important! August 31st Deadline for Advocate Continuing Education!

Please check the calendar for all the trainings being offered.  August 31st is the deadline for all our Advocates to have their 12 clock hours of training for the year. Please check with your Supervisor to verify if you have your 12 hours documented in Optima.  If you are needing more training hours, there are a number of things you can do to get these hours including trainings online (Texas CASA College courses as well as trainings we have held that are available on our website), meeting with your Supervisor, watching a movie related to child welfare, reading a book related to children in care, TBRI, etc.  It is critical as we head into our audit year that every Advocate has completed these hours by the end of this month in order to remain an Advocate in good standing. Don’t stress – get with your Supervisor, and we will help you get these done!

Thank you!

We are so blessed in Montgomery County to have such an incredible team of Advocates. Each month, you are visiting your CASA children, calling to check on them, attending court, writing court reports, checking on their progress in school, verifying all their needs are being met physically and medically, meeting with relatives, communicating with the caseworker and attorneys, and at all times seeking the best interest for your CASA children. I am so grateful for each and every Advocate who has chosen to donate their time to CASA and the abused and neglected children in our area. We could not do this work without you –  Thank you!