The CASA Story is our strategy to align local and state advocacy efforts in preparation for the 90th Legislative Session. Using one unified voice, we'll educate our legislators about the realities of the changing child welfare system and, most importantly, the critical, stabilizing role that CASA plays – all through stories of your local impact.

New Resources

You'll find May social media posts (4) and a media alert on the CASA Story Program Portal. The media alert is centered on National Foster Care Month.

CFE 101 is a virtual training for CASA staff, volunteers, and CPS/SSCC staff who are implementing Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE). This three-hour session covers the fundamentals of CFE and includes hands-on practice with core tools and skills. Before attending, you are required to complete the two-hour CFE E-Learning course found here. Social Work CEUs will be available. For questions or additional information, contact us at cfeteam@texascasa.org.

Join us tomorrow, May 14, from 1 - 4 pm!

We're thrilled to invite you to Spill the TEA, our twice-annual gathering of Program Directors from across the state. The next meeting is on Thursday, June 11, from 9 am - 3:30 pm at the Texas CASA office in Austin, and registration closes June 3. This session of Spill the TEA is focused on expanding your leadership toolbox and continuing to learn from one another about best practices for navigating the PD role. Please stay tuned for additional details and don't hesitate to reach out to Margaret Halpin at mhalpin@texascasa.org with any questions.

You may be hearing more about human trafficking as a result of universal screening efforts. As a reminder, universal screening was implemented to help safeguard the safety, well-being, and overall needs of the children and youth we advocate for. Along with this increased awareness, you may also hear more about statewide responses such as care coordination and CSEY (Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth) advocacy. Both care coordination and CSEY advocacy are evidence-based, specialized approaches designed to provide targeted support and resources for youth who have experienced exploitation.

Two resources recently highlighted in the Supervisor Strengths-Based Supervision training were the “Who Does What?” checklist and the Powerful Coaching Questions resource. The checklist helps supervisors and advocates reflect on how responsibilities are shared within their partnership, recognizing that support levels may shift over time as advocates build confidence and experience. The coaching questions resource encourages reflection, critical thinking, and deeper case understanding, helping advocates strengthen problem-solving skills while supporting supervisors in using a more collaborative, strengths-based approach.

Catch-up on recent communications sent to Executive Directors. Here you’ll find a roundup of emails from the past few weeks, including their dates and subject lines so you can easily revisit anything you may have overlooked.

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