News and updates for CASA program staff and leadership

NEWS

Quarterly Data Update Clarification

We apologize for any confusion regarding the Quarterly Data Update in the last Inside CASA newsletter, sent out on July 23. For clarification, during FY2025 Quarter 3, local CASA programs in Texas began serving 1,804 new children with 522 new dedicated volunteers, bringing the year-to-date totals for FY2025 to 15,543 total children served and 6,440 total volunteers, respectively. To view the full update, click the link below. You can also reach out to tcims@texascasa.org with any questions. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We appreciate all that you do in making these numbers come to life by fiercely supporting so many children and families across Texas.

EVENTS & TRAINING

CASA ACT Day (Anti-Child Trafficking)

We are excited to host our first-ever CASA ACT Day (Anti-Child Trafficking) on September 10 from 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Austin. This event is open to any program who is currently utilizing ACT Advocacy in some capacity. Join us for an information-filled day where we learn from experts, share best practices and strengthen our CASA ACT Advocacy. Because of limited space, only one staff member per program is able to register. For questions, please contact Torey Tipton (casaacts@texascasa.org) or Anna McDonnell.

STAR Monthly Zoom & Upcoming Webinars

On August 18, STAR Zoom will join the Program Director meeting for a special presentation from CASA of Galveston County. They will share a new Bingo Game they created to support youth in learning about their rights in foster care. The program received a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, and one of their requests was that the resource be shared with the greater Texas CASA community. We are thrilled to help facilitate sharing this fantastic resource with the wider network! This is for CASA Supervisors and Program Directors only. Register here.

Upcoming in September, the STAR Team will kick off the school year with two Zoom webinars focused on educational advocacy. Check out more info in the link below, you don't want to miss this!

Learn More & Register

Upcoming Trainings from Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence

A child who has experienced abuse or neglect often has specialized health care needs. Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence brings together experts in pediatrics, behavioral health, research and child welfare to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based care to address these needs and start the path to healing. No matter their living situation, children and youth aged up to 18 years who have experienced foster care should get primary medical care targeted to their unique needs. See the list of upcoming trainings to help support children and families in foster care who have these needs.

Learn More & Register

RESOURCES

New Resource Available to Help Youth Acquire Their ID Documents

I Am Here: Vital Document Legal Hotline for Youth, is a free, dedicated legal assistance hotline for youth experiencing homelessness to help obtain essential identification and vital documents created in partnership by the National Network for Youth and Baker McKenzie. We want as many young people as possible to know this hotline exists and to use it! It’s here to help get vital documents like IDs, birth certificates and Social Security cards to access housing, education, jobs and safety. Please use the communications toolkit for FAQs, flyers + graphics and sample social media posts.

Back to School: Navigating New Texas Sexual Health Education Policies with Texas is Ready

Join the team at Texas is Ready for an upcoming webinar on August 21 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Their expert panel will provide a deep dive into the critical legislative updates from the 89th Texas Legislative Session and the significant changes for school-based health education. Also, check out their School District Adolescent Sexual Health Fact Sheet tool for statistics specific to your area on Pregnancy and Teen Birth Data, School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Compliance, Sexual Health Education Curricula by Grade Levels and more. Texas is Ready also provides direct, one-on-one support to school districts, charters and communities for implementing high-quality sexual health education. Learn more in the link below.