CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

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LindaJM
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CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby LindaJM » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:51 am

I'm opening this thread to start a dialogue on CASA workers, and how best to deal with them. Is there something people could be doing to get on their good side?

Any experiences with CASA, or suggestions - please put them here!
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Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby LindaJM » Sat Apr 03, 2010 4:03 pm

I'll be looking for more CASA information.

Here's a start, their national website: National CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates
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Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...

cambreenellie
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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby cambreenellie » Mon Apr 05, 2010 7:11 pm

This is a tough one because I had two Casa workers in my case and one worked with me and one worked for the babysitter (aka foster parent).

The two Casa workers were so different, even in team meetings they butted heads against each other. I had one wanting the kids home and the other said more time was needed.

Either way make friends with the Casa workers. You may not like the people in the situation and their advice but you need to show that you are willing and cooperative with anything to get your children back home and out of the horrible corrupted system.

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby Marina » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:33 pm

.
I rarely saw any news articles on CASA's except for recruitment.

I knew one person who became a CASA. The purpose of him becoming one was for it to look good on his resume. He is a student. He is not married, doesn't have any children, and doesn't have a clue about the issues except what he learned in class, which is about what you would learn by reading the website for Child Welfare Information Gateway, which SOUNDS good.

In the case he was assigned to, he didn't have to get very involved with it. He may have gone to court once. It was for a divorce-custody case. Many localities assign CASA's to these kinds of cases, just because they can. It was a rural area and there were not many child welfare cases going on.

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby CASA » Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:21 am

Howdy, Hi, I have been a CASA for five years.

I got into this with one purpose in mind only... to cover the holes in a child's case. To locate relatives for placement instead of strange foster parents. To make sure a child is getting counseling/treatment for medical/ academic/emotional issues. To make sure they are being CARED FOR in their foster home, not just fed with a roof. In short, to get them to where they will grow optimally and where they BELONG.

Please remember that a CASA has nothing to say about the petition being a filed. A CASA is only called in AFTER CPS/DCFS has determine a child needs removal or a safety plan.

I wish, I wish, I wish I could say that most CASAs were in this for the above reasons. Sadly, most CASAs I have met are privileged, judgemental, and tend to go in with a case against the parents. The only cases where I have seen adoption justified were the ones where the parents voluntarily did so (and I do mean voluntarily, not coerced) The other cases were, in my opinion, unjustified adoptions.

For the record, CPS/DCFS does NOT like working with CASAs. CASAs are as much a pain in the butt to them as they are biological parents, because CASAs ask CPS to ensure a child's safety/best interests.

If you wish to ask specific questions, please do so, I will be happy to answer them.

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby LindaJM » Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:52 am

Thanks for letting us know more about CASA. I recall a teacher and CPS victim from quite a few years ago on this site that decided to apply for CASA. It seems like a good thing to do when the motivations are right.

Over the years I've heard many times that someone thought they were going to get their child back but the CASA worker was the only one still against them in court.
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Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...

cambreenellie
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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby cambreenellie » Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:27 am

If I could I would become a Casa worker, not because I would go in there with a big head and demand all the children to go back to their parents but to be fair. I had two Casa workers where one listened and one didn't, one came by more then the other, one asked and presented questions during meetings while the other one sat there. I come from a small county that is constantly looking for Casa workers because the over abundance of children in the system and I hope it's not the situation where they are so desperate for workers that they take in virtually anyone.

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby CPSptsd » Fri May 20, 2011 6:39 pm

Old thread but I figured I'd put my 2 cents in.

We had one experience with a CASA worker. On the day that our daughter was located and her father was forced to bring her to court. Then CPS showed up as well, and teh CASA worker, having never met our daughter OR either of us OR the father, listened to the CPS worker's story, turned to the judge and said "I believe the Dad and CPS here..."

And that was that.
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that need altering." -- The Doctor

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby ScaredMomNY » Fri May 20, 2011 10:25 pm

CPSptsd wrote: Then CPS showed up as well, and teh CASA worker, having never met our daughter OR either of us OR the father, listened to the CPS worker's story, turned to the judge and said "I believe the Dad and CPS here..."

And that was that.


Do you think there was prejudice involved there because of your relationship? That would be horrible :(
“Most people are good and occasionally do something they know is bad. Some people are bad and struggle every day to keep it under control. Others are corrupt to the core and don’t give a damn, as long as they don’t get caught. But evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.” My CPS blog: http://cpsmistakes.tumblr.com/

CPSptsd
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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby CPSptsd » Fri May 20, 2011 11:49 pm

I don't think it was even brought up... the entire thing was super fast, as if decisions had been made behind closed doors. I wasn't even allowed in the courtroom!
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that need altering." -- The Doctor

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby LindaJM » Sun May 22, 2011 9:39 am

It seems like there should be someone to complain to in cases where the CASA worker isn't doing his or her job before jumping to conclusions. Would that be the person who trains the worker, the county board of supervisors, or who? I would seek out people with power over that CASA worker and lodge complaints, write letters, and in general try to get that person eliminated from juvenile court cases. If nothing else works, I might even go to the press, write a letter to the editor, or do what ever it takes. I believe CASA workers are simply low-self-esteem busybodies who want to feel important and wield power over families that have been downtrodden by CPS allegations. They're volunteers with nothing better to do with their time. Give them a taste of their own "medicine" if they're that prejudiced, unfeeling and corrupt.

Just my opinion... and not being in the situation, it is easy to talk. But I believe in fighting back in every way possible.
Sample Document Library

Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...

CPSptsd
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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby CPSptsd » Tue May 24, 2011 1:42 pm

In our particular case it was obvious that the CASA worker and the CPS worker and supervisor were all known to each other. Lots of buddy-buddy chit chat going on before the actual court proceedings started.
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that need altering." -- The Doctor

Jujuchi
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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby Jujuchi » Tue May 31, 2011 3:13 pm

The CASA representatives that I am dealing with are ridiculous. All they want to do is place bullsh*t coloring books and crayons into my childrens hands and not discuss the MATTER at hand. So quick to suggest unnecessary medical tests and examinations but not quick to suggest to the Judge that a child should be placed back with relatives. They are a annoying. They dont care about the children. Its a meer PASTIME to them to enter a childs life, pretend to be their "best friend" and get information out of them. I hate anyone affiliated with CPS. They make the parents look bad even if they THEMSELVES have been the ones victimized by the government.

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Re: CASA workers - How to negotiate with them

Postby dabrock61attnet » Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:32 pm

Our CASA worker came to our home, visited briefly with us and about an hour with our grandson. She believed he was where he needed to remain. After talking with our Attorney and reading the petitions she said she smelled a rat and would see us in court. She felt he needed to remain in the home, or at least shared custody. She asked questions in Court and the Judge could see where she was going and that's part of the reason I believe when I submitted to an instant drug screen in court they stated that I failed. I did call the CASA worker after court and thanked her and told her I am not on drugs and I have a clean drug screen I took after court. She said she was sorry, there was nothing more that she could do. You see she was requesting to overseeing us if we got shared custody, but of course the drug screen is what hurt us. She said to keep the Drug Screen I took after court and seek a good Attorney. I even had a Hair folicle test that was clean. The Judge said they can be cheated on. I have a TWIC card, we are subject to random drug screens on my job, of which I have never failed. I have reference letters from my Supervisors. Even with all of this I was not able to find an Attorney to represent me to clear my name for the False Positive Drug Screen taken in Court. In my case the CASA worker cared, and even the first (2) Case Workers were in the best interest of my grandson. In my experience, just like the last Attorney told us, if CPS has it out for you they will make your life HELL!


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