Things have been going really well! Our team got an additional CASA on board for another child involved in this case, and it has helped tremendously. The other CASA has a good relationship with the mother of the children, and it's taking the case in a positive direction. I have not been able to have a relationship with the mother because of my role in the case (I wish I could share more about that, but it's confidential. Sorry!) 

Today, I'm meeting with my "kiddo" (a common CASA term to describe the child in the case without mentioning names. It's an affectionate term we feel comfortable using), so that will be good. I saw my kiddo last week for a foster care review at the Social Services building, and he is doing well. Things have changed for the better. I have a staffing meeting to go to on Tuesday so we can all discuss the direction the case is going in and how best to maintain positivity for everyone involved.

I have been devoting a little more time to the case now that things have changed, but it hasn't been overwhelming. It usually takes me about 10 hours per month, and that doesn't include court and drive time. This case has been going for quite some time, since 2007, and I came in four months ago. That typically isn't the norm to have a case that lasts that long, but this one is very complicated. The average time for a case to close is 18 months, but some can last two months! 

I'm very glad that I have gotten to know my kiddo. I wish I could hang out with him outside of CASA, but that isn't allowed. We have to maintain a professional relationship, which I understand. My kiddo and I still get to do fun things though. We meet at Burger King and talk over good food. 

Another thing I have enjoyed is getting to know the other CASA workers. We get to see each other at CASA events, and I saw some at the grocery store! We are all getting together for dinner soon as kind of a CASA reunion of sorts, so that will be fun to see how other CASAs are doing and how their cases are going. It's fun to compare and share tips with one another. It makes me feel not so alone and that I have a support group if I need to ask for help. I already do have a huge support system with the CASA coordinators, but it's just an added benefit to have my CASA friends who went through training with me to help.

I feel so good about how I got invovled in the case and how the case is going now. It was stuck for awhile, but now that there's light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like a huge accomplishment. It isn't over yet, but at least it's moving in the right direction. I wish I could help more kids in foster care, but the fact that I'm helping my kiddo, who really needs it, makes it all worth it. Kids in foster care are so lost, and everything is new and scary for them. If a CASA can help cushion the blow of being thrust into a new environment, that can mean the world to them. I wish more people knew how important this program is and how life-changing it has been to me. To help others, and to give back what I have been blessed with, makes me feel that I am making a difference. That's what this is all about!