One Child at a Time: The Mission of a Court Appointed Special Advocate

by Yolanda Bryant

When children are taken from their family, due to abuse or neglect, they enter the custody of social services and are put into a foster home. Some of these children are lucky enough to be given a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). “One Child at a The Mission of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)” shares the experiences of CASAs working to give children a voice in court, and a chance to return to a safe home, or to find a new forever home. First, you will meet Kelly, an engaging three-year-old that told her CASA the first time they met, “The people came and took me away from my mommy and daddy. I was crying and crying. I had to go and see a doctor. The doctor gave me a stuffed animal to make me feel better, but it didn’t help.” The words of this small child floored the author. She seemed to have a better understanding of her feelings than many children much older. It’s no wonder that the author would become Kelly’s biggest advocate. The second section of the book is a compilation of experiences and feelings from a variety of CASA volunteers. All kinds of people do this work; the only requirement is a love for children. Volunteers are trained for two weeks before starting a case. Along the way, when questions or concerns arise, each volunteer has a supervisor from the CASA office that they can turn to for advice and a listening ear. The joy of seeing a child find the happiness and security each one deserves is an experience that fills a CASA’s heart with their own joy and happiness. It is the reason CASAs become hooked from the moment they take a case and meet their children.

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2014

Reviews

[Shay Hempeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories to read & become acquainted with CASA - great book to read before becoming a volunteer !

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When children are taken from their family, due to abuse or neglect, they enter the custody of social services and are put into a foster home. Some of these children are lucky enough to be given a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). One Child at a Time: The Mission of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) shares the experiences of CASAs working to give children a voice in court, and a chance to return to a safe home, or to find a new forever home. First, you will meet Kelly, an engaging three-year-old that told her CASA the first time they met, The people came and took me away from my mommy and daddy. I was crying and crying. I had to go and see a doctor. The doctor gave me a stuffed animal to make me feel better, but it didnt help. The words of this small child floored the a

uthor. She seemed to have a better understanding of her feelings than many children much older. Its no wonder that the author would become Kellys biggest advocate. The second section of the book is a compilation of experiences and feelings from a variety of CASA volunteers. All kinds of people do this work; the only requirement is a love for children. Volunteers are trained for two weeks before starting a case. Along the way, when questions or concerns arise, each volunteer has a supervisor from the CASA office that they can turn to for advice and a listening ear. The joy of seeing a child find the happiness and security each one deserves is an experience that fills a CASAs heart with their own joy and happiness. It is the reason CASAs become hooked from the moment they take a case and meet their children.

[Tia Revell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging for a potential CASA volunteer

This was a great read that was very encouraging to a person who is considering joining CASA as a volunteer in the near future. This book does not shy away from the bad, but does not concentrate on that instead it shows just what kind of difference you can make. I can't wait to share this with my husband who is also interested in being a CASA volunteer.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle Rewards | Probably wouldn't recommend, overall | This review is from the perspective of a CASA in training, in a different state than that of the author. First, I don't think she did herself any favors by writing long-past conversations with quotes as if she were writing fiction. It comes across very stilted and unnatural, which degrades the message. More importantly, the first section demonstrates several dismaying unconscious biases on the part of the author, and I found myself deeply questioning her decisions about what was best for the child. In my location, I cannot transport a child in my vehicle, introduce them to my family, or supervise parental visits, all of which are repeatedly mentioned as things CASAs do in this book, making it less applicable to my work. The second section can be heartening, but it reads half as an advertisement for the program and half as individual justifications, which means it has less value for anyone who has already committed to the work. In total I would say it's ok, but I would really hesitate to pass it on, mainly due to the prejudices shown by the author in the first section.

[Vipul Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading if you want to be a CASA Volunteer

I liked the fact that the book has only one CASA volunteer story. It gives the flavor of what you may expect as a CASA Volunteer.
The second half of the book provided thoughts of many CASA Volunteers, GAL, CASA Supervisors was great.
I wanted to know when a child is assigned a CASA versus, when a child is put in a foster home without a CASA. The example being the older child in Kelly’s case who bullied her probably because of her abused past was not assigned a CASA.
Over all it’s a great preview of life as a CASA.

[Mikaela Lennberg (lennberglibrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hoping to be a CASA volunteer one day when my kids are older and I have time. This gave me great insights into what a casa volunteer does and the impact they can have.

[Crystal Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a special book. I really enjoyed the insights of other CASA volunteer workers. Thank you for sharing your compassion and hours within each case for a child.