For so many of us, the holiday season is full of excitement, celebration, family, warmth and community. As we enjoy this time with loved ones and get ready for the New Year, let’s make sure we’re keeping children in foster care in our hearts. The fact is, some of these children are spending the season in emergency shelters, state hospitals, residential treatment centers and even on the streets. Moreso, those who are living with relatives or foster families – the most “normal” out-of-home care situation – are still missing their families and friends, and wondering if they will have presents, happy memories and stories to talk about with their classmates after the break.

There are many wonderful organizations that are working to create happier, more hopeful holidays for these children and could use your support. In the spirit of the season, I want to draw your attention to a handful of them, and get you thinking about where you could get involved.

New CASA Anti-Child Trafficking (ACT) Toolkits Sent to Local Programs

Texas CASA is pleased to have released the ACT Toolkit at the Texas CASA Conference in October. Local programs received two toolkits each for use by their programs, with the goal of being equipped and ready to go for implementing CASA ACT at the local level. CASA ACT is a survivor-centered advocacy approach and a program plan to best support these practices, and to be the best active community partners with others in the anti-child trafficking space. Visit the link below to see what each ACT toolkit contains and to learn more about the initiative.

Texas Monthly Spotlight on Texas CASA 

Thousands of children across the state have experienced abuse and neglect and are now navigating the complexities of the child welfare system. With over half being under the age of five, many of these children do not have the capacity to express their needs, much less advocate for themselves. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are everyday people appointed by a judge to look after a child’s best interest when they are in foster care. CASA volunteers are well-trained and work to address a child’s needs around safety, permanency, connectivity and well-being. Learn more about the role of CASA volunteers and how Texas CASA helps support them in the link below.

Support Your Local CASA Program This Holiday Season

As you enjoy the holiday season with loved ones, we hope you remember the needs of the children and families experiencing the child welfare system, and the remarkable local CASA programs supporting them. Texas CASA has put together a wishlist page on our website with links to many of the local CASA program holiday wishlists. We encourage you to find your local program and help create a happier, more hopeful holiday season for children and families in need. Can't find your local program on the list? Visit texascasa.org/who-we-are/local-casa/ to contact them directly.  

Bringing TBRI to Classrooms with Calming Corners - Child Advocates of Fort Bend

Recently the CASA program at Child Advocates of Fort Bend was given the opportunity to create a calming corner in a former Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworker’s classroom. Mrs. Turnipseed’s background in CPS helps her understand the importance of working with students through a trauma-informed lens. She wanted this calming corner to provide a safe space in the classroom where children may go when they feel overwhelmed and dysregulated. The calming corner includes texture-rich fidgets, manipulatives, weighted blankets, stress strips, aroma therapy and a white noise machine. Learn more about this inspiring project in the link below.

Texas CASA is Seeking Anti-Child Trafficking (ACT) Consultant 

Request for Proposals for a CASA Anti-Child Trafficking (ACT) Consultant! Texas CASA is looking to contract with an experienced individual to coordinate efforts at the statewide and local CASA network level to support survivor-centered CASA advocacy and training. The CASA ACT Consultant will support resource sharing to inform advocacy specific for survivors of child trafficking and will support local programs to be engaged in anti-child trafficking work and efforts in their communities. For more information visit the link below. 

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