National CASA Podcast

The National CASA Association and the National Council of Family and Juvenile Court Judges (NCJFCJ) have an extensive collaborative history in working towards permanency and well-being for children.  Sworn in as President of NCJFCJ in July of 2014, and an active supporter of CASA, Judge Peggy H. Walker talks about this relationship and shares her expertise on working with infants and toddlers, brain science and judicial leadership involving abused and neglected children. 

LaDonna Wattley, founder of Wattley Training Institute and former Volunteer Director with Child Advocates, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN, has used her vast experiences in the child welfare, adoption and educational fields to develop in-depth trainings for others working in those fields, especially around working with families of color.  Listen to Ms. Wattley discuss cultural competency and other important things to consider when working with children and families.

Sharon Nelson and John Simek have been busy as the President and Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., a successful digital forensics, information technology and information security company. Their schedules just got even busier as Sharon was elected President of the Virginia State Bar. When they were looking for a rewarding, hands-on way to help others, they found a natural fit with Fairfax CASA in Fairfax, VA.  Listen to Sharon and John share their experiences as CASA volunteers, learn tips on working with the legal system and keeping things confidential using online technology tools, and hear their thoughts on using Skype as a tool to meet with CASA youth.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, members of the National CASA Facebook community have shared their dreams for future generations of children.  Listen to the final week of a four part audio collage recorded by National CASA staff, featuring the voices of Marleisha Cox, YWCA GirlsFirst intern, and Ellis, son of National CASA staff member Jill Wiedenhoft.

In this podcast, National CASA chief program officer, Sally Erny reflects on her experience and inspiration throughout her career. Listen to Sally talk about her 27 years of service to CASA and her vision for National CASA. National CASA is celebrating 35 years of volunteer advocacy; Sally is one of the 35 Faces that is making the life better for abused and neglected children.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, members of the National CASA Facebook community have shared their dreams for future generations of children.  Listen to week three of a four part audio collage series recorded by National CASA Staff.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, members of the National CASA Facebook community have shared their dreams for future generations of children.  Listen to week two of a four part audio collage series recorded by National CASA Staff.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, members of the National CASA Facebook community have shared their dreams for future generations of children.  Listen to week one of a four part audio collage series recorded by National CASA Staff.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation initiatve All Children - All Families helps child welfare organizations improve their recruitment and retention of volunteers and resource families in the LGBT community and works to enhance the LGBT cultural competency within the child welfare system.  Tracy Flynn, consultant with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, talks more about this opportunity.

Older youth often age out of the foster care system without the tools and resources needed to successfully transition to adulthood.  CASA and GAL volunteers that have been trained with the National CASA Fostering Futures curriculum are more aware of the needs of older youth and are better able to work alongside them to realize better outcomes.  In this podcast, four staff members from the Essex County CASA program in Newark, NJ discuss their experiences implementing Fostering Futures and how they are tracking and documenting outcomes.