CASA Delaware Live!

In episode #87, we speak with Stacey Simon of CORAS, which used to be Connections, CSP. CORAS focuses on providing substance abuse and mental health treatment to the community. As CASA Volunteers, you may encounter families who are seeking, or in need of seeking, substance abuse or mental health treatment. CORAS has been able to provide both services to clients across Delaware. Stacey shares some information on these services as well as ideas on how CASA volunteers can best work with CORAS to obtain records and learn about progress of clients we might be working with.

You can learn more about CORAS at their website: https://coraswellness.org/

In Episode #86, we chat with Deputy Treasurer Jordan Seemans who educates us on the Aspire 529 program, a program specifically designed for youth experiencing foster care to take advantage of in order to financially plan for their educational future. This is a great program that our youth can take advantage of and Jordan teaches us what CASAs can do to support furthering youth's education.

Information on the Aspire 529 program can be found here: https://treasurer.delaware.gov/aspire529/

If anyone has questions, they can email: [email protected] for further information. 

In Episode #85, we chat with Judge Natalie Haskins of New Castle County Family Court. She walks us through Burdens of Proof, two major federal laws that affect our dependency/neglect cases and include legal lingo, and finally she shares some advice about advocating for Best Interest.

You can learn about the Best Interest factors here:
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Enjoy this discussion!

In Episode #84, CASA Carmine Alessandro shares his knowledge and experience with us about financial management. Carmine shares some tips that a CASA can use when speaking to a youth about financial management including determining what are WANTS versus NEEDS and the idea of saving for a goal. He also shares that CASA Volunteers can work with youth to outline their current income and expenses to ensure that their income can cover their expenses. Enjoy!

In Episode #83, we hear from 3 CASA Volunteers and one CASA Coordinator as they share their experience working with youth who have turned 18 and are now in Extended Jurisdiction. We speak with CASAs Kathie Koster, Shelli Smith and Sarah Fulton as well as CASA Coordinator Nakia Howard who all share their thoughts on some barriers that their youth experienced. They also share how their advocacy changed once their youth entered into adulthood. They share some struggles but also some triumphs that they experienced. Finally, these 4 ladies share some great words of wisdom on how best to advocate for any young adult who is in Extended Jurisdiction. Enjoy! 

In Episode #82, we interview child attorney Bonnie Gladu. She mostly serves Kent County cases working her corner of the CASA Triad. Bonnie sheds some light on how she uses her previous career as a therapist to best advocate for children experiencing foster care. Bonnie also provides some insight into how she feels CASA volunteers can best support the Child Attorney in their case as well as some tip for preparing for court hearings. Enjoy! 

In Episode #81, we speak with retired Family Court Judge Aida Waserstein. She has spent roughly 45 years in family law, first as a practioner and her final 21 years were spent on the bench. She has an incredible life story involving experience in foster care herself. Judge Waserstein is also an author of My Name is Aida and several other children's books. She shares her insight with us on how the Family Court has changed over the years as well as gives advice to CASA Volunteers on getting to know their CASA child's culture in order to relate to them. Enjoy! 

In Episode #80, we chat with Dr. Lynn Moyer who discusses child specific recruitment, known as CSR. As a child-specific recruiter, Lynn works with prospective adoptive families for children who are unable to reunite with their parents. In this podcast, she discusses how she works with families through a commitment lens to ensure the identified family is a good fit for the child. She discusses why specific language is important to use and how such words affect child going through this process. She also explains what is entailed in the joining of a child with a family and what CASA volunteers should know about this process. Enjoy! 

In Episode #79, Claudine Wiant of the Beau Biden Foundation describes what Human Trafficking is, who are the potential victims, and how to prevent human trafficking. She explains the history of how it became illegal as well as what CASA volunteers should be aware of when working with a youth experiencing foster care, as they are a target population. Here are some resources she shared with us:

1-888-373-7888 is the National Human Trafficking Hotline. You can also text 233733.

Domestic Violence: National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Sexual Abuse: Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Suicide: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Dating Violence: National Dating Abuse Helpline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-866-331-9474

Runaway and Homeless Youth: National Runaway Safeline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)

Missing Children and Child Pornography: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678)

Wilmington University Human Trafficking Symposium:  https://www.wilmu.edu/humantraffickingsymposium/

Domestic Violence: National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Sexual Abuse: Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Suicide: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Dating Violence: National Dating Abuse Helpline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-866-331-9474

Runaway and Homeless Youth: National Runaway Safeline, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)

Missing Children and Child Pornography: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 24 hour Hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678)

Wilmington University Human Trafficking Symposium:  https://www.wilmu.edu/humantraffickingsymposium/ 

In Episode #78, we chat with Nick Beard who works in the field of Domestic Violence. Nick is also a CASA volunteer so she is able to weave her experience as both a CASA and a DV advocate. She shares some information on how domestic violence effects children and their families. She tells about some key terms we should use and some that we should avoid. She also discusses some resources that can be found here in Delaware. One such resource is the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This is a helpful website: https://dcadv.org/

Enjoy!