Benefit Golf Tournament July 2014

The 8th annual golf tournament benefiting CASA of the Continental Divide will be held this year at The Club at Cordillera Valley Course in Edwards.

The tournament will be Monday, July 14. Entry fee is $300 per person or $1200 per foresome. Entry fee includes 18 holes, lunch, silent auction and prizes.

Please pass the word to golf fiends who might be interested in this opportunity to play at such a beautiful course.

To register, click here or call the CASACD office at 970-513-9390.

CASACD Office Changes

As many have heard, Ron has moved on to bigger and better things. We at CASACD wish him the best and thank him for his service here during the past months.

The great news is that Hannah has returned as an advocate manager on a part-time basis. Hannah’s new email will be HannahO@www.mtncasa.org.

Also, Lynn, our office manager, has put her house up for sale and will be moving when it sells. We will miss the great work she has done for us in the office but, again, wish her luck in all her future endeavors. So while we will have another opening in the office eventually, the email for this position remains: admin@www.mtncasa.org.

Rescheduled CASACD Volunteer Dinners

The volunteer dinners scheduled for May have been changed to the last week of July, exact dates TBD, in hopes that more people can attend. Stay tuned for more information.

Open Cases that need CASA’s!

Summit County:

One female child 15 years old.

Eagle County:

Two female children 4 and 2 years old.
Two children, one male 10 yo and female 13 yo.
Two female children ages 13 and 2.
Two female children 8 and 1 years old.

Clear Creek County:

7 new cases!!! Tell us what you want and we probably have it!

New Law Affects CASA Cases

SB 14-062 will become law as of August 6. In summary, it states that if parental rights are terminated, a 15 year old (or younger if part of a sibling group) can have parental rights reinstated if there is no adoption after 3 years (or less time if it is in the child’s best interest and with certain findings made.) If you have any questions about whether this affects your cases, please call the CASACD office.

Optima Updates and Hints

* COPY & PASTING TEXT INTO OPTIMA TEXT BOXES:

If you need to copy and paste information (text) from other documents or an approved court report into a newly created court report in Optima, it is very important to copy the text in plain text format.

To copy text into any Optima text box from a Word document, for example, it must be in a plain text format. To create a plain text document, first open a Word document. Select FILE and then select SAVE AS; this allows you to rename the document. Rename the document: Plain Text Word Document and then change the FORMAT to: Plain Text (.txt). Lastly, save the Plain Text Word document to your desktop for easy access.

* To complete a new court report, see the Court Report work instructions. Part one is the what goes into the court report. Part two addresses the how to create/data entry a court report in Optima.

These work instructions were mailed to all CASAs. You can also access them on the CASACD website here. Please read these work instructions and document the time you spent reading these work instructions in your training log. The instructions for doing this are also on the same page of the website.

Upcoming Events / Trainings / Webinars

* Colorado CASA State Conference, June 21. Free, and lunch provided. Meet other Colorado CASAs, learn skills, and get continuing-education hours. Call the CASACD office if you want to carpool. Register by clicking here or call the CASACD office at 970-513-9390.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Summit CASA office room 101:
* Thursday, June 19, noon-2pm
* Tuesday June 24, 5-7pm
Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library:
* Thursday, June 12, 10am-noon
* Tuesday, June 18, 5-7pm

Hannah:

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

Spring CASA Volunteer Training

The next training session for prospective CASA volunteers will begin Saturday, April 26, at the CASACD Dillon office.

To maintain enough CASA volunteers to serve all the needy children in our district, and to replace CASA volunteers who have moved away, etc, we need to train about 20 new volunteers annually. So far this year, we have added two.

And while Eagle county is where we have the greatest need, volunteers from any of the counties would be very welcome.

CASACD’s best outreach to the community is through you, our current CASA volunteers, who spread the word about the important work you do. And who better to recognize a potential for doing CASA volunteer work than our existing volunteers?

So if you know of someone who would be a good fit for the work we do, encourage them to complete an application by going to www.mtncasa.org and register for the new training!

GAL 2014 Stakeholder Survey

It is that time again when you get the opportunity to evaluate the work of the GALs you have worked with since July 1, 2013. If you have been active on a case since then, please complete the survey by clicking on the link below. As you know, the court and the attorneys on your case evaluate you four months into your case. We appreciate this feedback. This is your opportunity to do the same.

GAL survey

Optima Updates and Hints

Optima program updates:
* For security purposes, Optima will timeout and log off users after a 30 minutes of inactivity. This uses button clicks to determine whether you are inactive, so if you are writing a lengthy Contact Log, for example, click on Save within 30 minutes of starting to type it or you might lose it. If you anticipate it will take longer, write in elsewhere and cut and paste to the window.
* Previously, under Child Details, there was a date for Assigned to CASA. This has been renamed Assigned to Program, since this date will be when the court assigns CASACD the case. The date the CASA volunteer takes the case will be under the Case Details > CASA Assignment.

Upcoming Events / Trainings / Webinars

* Prom dress swap and sale. Sunday, April 6, noon to 5pm, Miller Ranch Community Center in Vail. All dresses $40 day of the sale. Info: jennie@vailvalleycares.com.
* Active parenting of teen workshop series. 6-week class, Mondays, April 7 through May 19 (not April 14). $50/person or $75/couple for all six sessions. Register 970-949-9250 or jpeck@eagleyouth.org. Info: eagleyouth.org.
* Teen Violence for parents, caregivers and teens to be informed about signs of unhealthy relationships and date rape. Free. Tuesday, April 8, 6:30-8:30pm at St. Paul’s Parish, Idaho Springs. For more information, call Clear Creek County Advocates at 303-679-2426 or go to clearcreekcountyadvocates.com.
* Helping youth in foster care build self-sufficiency skills. Friday and Saturday, April 11 (5-9pm) & 12 (8:30am-4:30pm), in Greeley, or June 27 (5-9pm) & 28 (8:30am-4:30pm), Edgewater. Register at www.coloradocwts.com. Info: mary.griffin@state.co.us or 303-866-35466
* Love and Logic parenting class series, 5-week class, Wednesdays, April 16 through May 14, 5-7:30pm, at Eagle Valley Library District, 600 Broadway St., in Eagle. Register Melissa Barbour, 970-471-2782 or melissa.barbour@eaglecounty.us.
* CASA training about domestic violence, presented by Barb Shaw, Saturday, April 26, 1-4pm, at the CASACD Dillon office. RSVP to the CASACD office.
* CASA training about substance abuse and mental illness, presented by Jeanette Kintz, Tuesday, May 6, 7-9pm. RSVP to the CASACD office.
* Sexting for parents, preteens and teens about sexting, Internet safety, and “Can I get in trouble sexting?” Free. Tuesday, May 13, 6:30-8:30pm at St. Paul’s Parish, Idaho Springs. For more information, call Clear Creek County Advocates at 303-679-2426 or go to clearcreekcountyadvocates.com.
* Foster/Kinship/Adoptive parents’ guide to advocacy for the educational needs of children in their care. 2-day training, Thursday and Friday, May 15 and 16, 9am-2pm both days, in Pueblo. Free. Register at www.coloradocwts.com. Info: mary.griffin@state.co.us.
* Domestic Violence for anyone needing to know what it is, how to help someone in a DV situation, and available resources. Tuesday, June 10, 6:30-8:30pm at St. Paul’s Parish, Idaho Springs. For more information, call Clear Creek County Advocates at 303-679-2426 or go to clearcreekcountyadvocates.com.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101:
* Wednesday, April 9, 10am-noon
* Tuesday, April 22, 5-7pm
* Thursday, May 1, 10am-noon
* Wednesday, May 7, 5-7pm
Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library:
* Tuesday, April 15, 10am-noon
* Thursday, April 17, 10am-noon
* Wednesday, April 23, 5-7pm
* Wednesday, May 14, 5-7pm
* Thursday, May 22, 10am-noon
* Tuesday, May 27, 10am-noon

Ron:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101:
* Thursday, April 10, 9-11am
* Wednesday, April 30, 11am-1pm
Leadville:
* Monday, April 14, 11am-1pm

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

Magic in the Mountains

A former foster child, Jason has offered his services to CASA of the Continental Divide for this Benefit Show.

Tickets are in advance are $30 adults/$25 children. At the door: $35 adults/$30 children.

For tickets, go here.

CASACD has 25 free tickets for CASA children, their CASA volunteer and anyone who provides transportation for the to the event, e.g., parent, foster parent, caseworker, or other guardian. Please let Kathy know by March19 if the children on your case will be in attendance. If you cannot attend but your CASA children would like to attend with a guardian, call the office for tickets.
CASA of the Continental Divide is also in need of sponsors for this event. If you know of any individuals or businesses interested in supporting our organization in this way, please contact the office.

CASA at the Capitol

CASA in Colorado is sponsoring CASA at the Capitol on the morning of Monday, March 10. Meet other CASA volunteers from around the state and our local representatives and talk about issues important to the CASA volunteer mission. If you can make this event, please register here. Carpooling can be arranged by emailing Ron in the CASACD office.

Updating CASA Volunteer Information

With the new Optima database, we in the office have new tools at our disposal to keep volunteer records up to date. With this change, we will be starting a review of CASA volunteer files to be sure we have everyone’s updated information, especially background checks, driver’s licenses, and car insurance information.

One new change that will go along with this is that Optima will automatically notify us when the above information expires, so we can update people individually instead of, for example, trying to update all the background checks at once.

So over the next few months, depending on factors like when your last background check was completed and what current or expired information we might have in your file, you might receive an email asking for updated information. We will email forms you will need as attachments, and you can return the information to us by snail mail, in person when you see one of us at court or supervision or in the office, etc.

Newsletters and Articles of Interest

Here is a direct link to the digital edition of Fostering Families Today magazine. Click here to view the publication. Access to the digital edition is email address sensitive. After opening the magazine, you may be prompted to Register in order to view the rest of the magazine.

Below are some articles from Connie Vigil from the National Resource Center for Adoptions:

* Demographic trends in Foster Care – consistent with ours decline

For more information about this campaign, go to colorado.gov/cdhs.

Optima updates and hints

Points to remember:
* When logging time in a contact log, only use time to the nearest .25 of the hour. For example, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, etc.
* Dates can be typed into date fields using the format 8/6/2014. They will automatically be reformatted in court reports as August 6, 2014.
* Enter supervision time under training. It will no longer be available under contact logs. When supervision is face to face with the advocate manager, the volunteer should enter the time into Optima. When it is on the phone, the advocate manager will enter it into Optima.
* If you are entering a contact and none of the contact types seems appropriate, call the advocate manager.
* If an advocate manager is present in the courtroom during your case hearing, the advocate manager will be responsible for entering court notes into Optima. If one of them can’t be there, they will make arrangements with you to obtain the information needed for the court report notes.
* Enter contacts as soon as possible, preferably immediately after or within 72 hours, but be sure to enter all contacts for the month no later than the 5th of the following months so that accurate monthly reports can be generated.

Upcoming Events / Training / Webinars

* Foster Care Education Webinar 101.2 sponsored by Colorado Department of Education. Tuesday, Feb. 11, noon to 1:30pm. Register by clicking here.
* Dialogue Over Dinner: Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussions: What parents and friends need to know for prevention and support. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30pm. Sponsored by the Family & Intercultural Resource Center . RSVP with Kerri at kerrib@summitfirc.org or call 970-262-3888 ext. 330. The evening is free and includes dinner and childcare. The food will be donated by All Seasons Catering.
* CASA at the Capital. Monday, March 10, 8 to noon. To register, click here. To carpool with other CASACD members, contact ronbesser@casa.colorado.net.
* Placement stability/support/compatibility – making the best decisions. Friday, March 14, 9am-4pm, Adams County Government Center – Brainerd Gulch Conf. Rm. 4435 Adams County Pkwy., Brighton; Wednesday, April 23, 9am-4pm, Durango Public Library, Program Room #2, 1900 E. 3rd Ave., Durango; Friday, May 23, 9am-4pm, Garfield CO DHS, Roan Plateau Room, 195 W. 14th St., Rifle. For information or to register, click here.
* Achieving Permanency through Intensive Family Finding. Learn to help youth and families maintain family connections and find their families. Monday, March 17, 8:30am to 4:30pm, SE CDHS Regional Training Center, 172 Justice Center Rd., Canyon City, and Thursday, June 19, West CDHS Regional Training Center, 195 W. 14th St, Rifle. For more information or to register, click here for Canyon City or here for Rifle.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Tuesday, February 18 from 5-7pm
Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library: Wednesday February 12 from 10-noon and Thursday, February 27 from 5-7pm

Ron:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Tuesday, February 11 from 1-3pm
Lake: Wednesday February 19 from 10:30am-12:30pm

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

Hello / Goodbye for Advocate Managers

We have a new advocate manager in the office! Ron Besser is taking over for many cases, mostly in Lake and Clear Creek counties.

Ron moved to Breckenridge with his wife and two-year-old son about three months ago from Denver, where he received his Master of Divinity degree from Denver Seminary.

Ron’s heart for youth and especially neglected youth led him to apply for this position. He has worked with youth his entire adult life including work in residential homes, at-risk youth camps and youth ministry. Through his connections with foster families, children in programs and friends who have adopted, he has seen how important the CASA volunteer can be in the lives of kids. He is excited to be able to support the people who can make such an amazing impact on the lives of children who aren’t able to speak for themselves all the time.

When he is not working, you might see Ron skiing (he is a ski instructor at Breck), biking, playing hockey or backpacking … but most likely, he will be goofing off in the snow with his son.

As many of you also know, Hannah will be leaving CASACD to take care of her new son. We wish her all the best!

CASA Volunteer Independent Study Training Begins January 25th!

As we all know, being a CASA volunteer is a tough gig, requiring time, commitment, strict background checks, emotional stress, and much more. This makes CASA volunteer recruitment and retention a challenge. As such, one of our best ways to recruit is through word of mouth by our CASA volunteers.

An informational meeting will be held at the Avon library on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m., and the winter CASA volunteer independent-study training will begin Jan. 25.

If you know of someone who would make a great CASA volunteer, encourage them to call the CASACD office, attend the informational meeting, or apply through our website.

CASA Statistics for 2013

In 2013, CASACD:
* had 52 cases, 91 children served: 23 new cases serving 39 children
* closed 44% cases under 12 months and 92% closed under 18 months
* closed 38 cases; average length in court was 17 months
* had 49 active volunteers; swore in 18 new volunteers

Colorado DHS Search Results

Colorado Department of Human Services research to plan a 2015 public-awareness campaign indicates:
* More than half of Coloradoans (51%) say they have personally encountered a child that they suspected was a victim of abuse or neglect.
* Perception is very different from reality. During SFY12-13, it is estimated that 75% of reports came from mandatory reporters, 15% came from family members, and only 10% came from the general public.
* Only half of Coloradoans (51%) can name a proper next step (call child protection services, county hotline, police, or 911) in circumstances where they have encountered suspected abuse or neglect and know the suspected abuser.
* Less than two-thirds of mandatory reporters surveyed (65%) named a proper step when they knew the suspected abuser well, rising to just 70% when they did not know the abuser.
* More than 30% of mandatory reporters surveyed do not know the proper steps to report child abuse or neglect.
* The biggest perceived barrier to reporting child abuse and neglect: “I don’t know enough about the situation and worry that I might be wrong” (65% said this lack of complete information would make them less likely to report).

For more information about this campaign, go to colorado.gov/cdhs.

Optima Update – Court Reports are Here!

As you have seen in several reminders, please have contact logs and training hours up to date in Optima by January 7!

Also, starting this month, court reports will be written using Optima! For detailed information on using Optima to write court reports, see the CASACD website, which has an Optima procedures webpage: https://mtncasa.org/optima.

One additional Optima oddity: because attorneys in our district often play multiple roles, attorneys will continue to be listed under the Associated Parties tab, but they will be listed as “interested Parties,” so that we can choose not only the lawyer but their role: GAL, respondent parent attorney, or county attorney. Therefore, we have released lawyers listed as “Attorneys” and re-added them to the case as “Interested Parties,” which means most current cases will have these lawyers listed twice. Just use the one listed as an “Interested Party,” and in the future, add them as an “Interested Party.”

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Wednesday January 22 from 5pm-7pm
Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library: Wednesday January 8 from 10am-12pm and Wednesday January 15 from 5-7pm

Ron:
For this first month, by appointment.

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA

View the entire newsletter here

New Volunteers

We have four new volunteer advocates this Fall! Mary Ann Leake of Evergreen, David Keller of Silverthorne, Jim Hesse of Frisco, and Jessica Stroeve of Frisco. CASACD is thankful for these wonderful new additions!

For more information on how to get involved with CASA of the Continental Divide, go to www.mtncasa.org or call 970-513-9390.

Many Cases Still Need CASA’s

In the CASA office, we still have cases that don’t have CASAs, especially in Eagle County. Please review the list below and let us know if you want more information about a case or whether you are ready to stand up and advocate for these children.
In Eagle:

1. Existing case with one girl age 9 and one boy age 6
2. New case with two boys age 5 years and 10 months
3. New case with two girls age 3 1/2 years and 22 months

Technology Mentors Available

If you need more assistance with the switch to using Optima, we have technology mentors, people who are comfortable with technology and the Optima program and who would be willing to sit with others a few times to help them enter their data into Optima.

If you would like help from these technology mentors, contact the CASACD office.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon: Meetings held at the CASA office; room 101: Wednesday December 18 from 5pm-7pm and Friday December 20 from 10am-12pm
Thursday January 2 from 10am-12pm and Wednesday January 22 from 5pm-7pm

Avon: Meetings will be held at the Avon Library: Thursday December 19 from 10am-12pm
Wednesday January 8 from 10am-12pm and Wednesday January 15 from 5-7pm and

Hannah:
Leadville – December 5th from 10:30-12:30 in the hearing room next to the courtroom.
Georgetown Clear Creek Courthouse – By appointment.

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View our entire newsletter here

New Volunteer Sworn-In

Debra Michaud – CASA Volunteer – Summit County

In Lake County on October 2, Debra Michaud was sworn in as a CASA volunteer and friend of the court by Judge Thomas Moorehead. Debra went through CASA volunteer training last spring and has a diverse background including nursing, mediation and two adult children of her own. She has engaged in charitable and volunteer efforts over the years, and looks forward to making a difference in children’s lives.

For more information on how to get involved with CASA of the Continental Divide, go to www.mtncasa.org or call 970-513-9390.

Welcome Back Hannah!

As you all probably know, Hannah has been on maternity leave since her son, Owen, was born at the end of July. She will be returning to work on Friday, November 1! We all are looking forward to her return!

And with her return, Carol, who has been filling in part time during Hannah’s maternity leave, will return to her previous life as a CASA volunteer. Thank you, Carol, for all your help here in the office during the last few months!

Many Cases Still Need CASA’s

In the CASA office, we still have cases that don’t have CASAs, especially in Eagle County. Please review the list below and let us know if you want more information about a case or whether you are ready to stand up and advocate for these children.
In Eagle:

Existing case with one girl age 9 and one boy age 6
New case with two boys age 5 years and 10 months
New case with two girls age 3 1/2 years and 22 months

Optima Update

As of September 23, Optima is up in running for the CASACD office and its volunteers! Here are some of the things volunteers can now do!

Log in to Optima over the Internet from their own computer, laptop, iPad or other mobile device. (If you need your login information, contact the office.)
Enter contact logs directly into Optima as they happen (or at least within 72 hours!).
Have access to current case data, such as CASA appointment papers, family service plans, CASA reports, and other case documents.
Upload case documents sent directly to the CASA if they are not already available on Optima.
Update ever-changing contact information for people associated with your case.
Enter hearing information.
See when the next hearing will be held.

However, as with any new technology, there are some things that we are still working out, so please be patient. For example, the court report process is still not where we would like it, so for the next month or so, please continue to write court reports the old-fashioned way in Word and email them to your advocate manager two weeks before your court date.

Technology Mentors Available

If you need more assistance with the switch to using Optima, we have technology mentors, people who are comfortable with technology and the Optima program and who would be willing to sit with others a few times to help them enter their data into Optima.

If you would like help from these technology mentors, contact the CASACD office.

Volunteer Training and Resources

• Summit County Lunchtime Learning presents Deconstructing Stress – Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 from 12pm to 12:50pm. Free. Ten Mile Room, St. Anthony’s Medical Office Building. Bring a brown-bag lunch. Call Mind Springs Health (formerly Colorado West) for more information.
• Making Therapy Work: Helping Clients Understand How to Work with Trauma and Other Difficult Experiences – Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 to 8pm. Free. Noeticus Office, 190 E. 9th Ave., Basement Conf. Room, Denver. Preregistration required. To register, call Laura Strube at (303) 399-9988 x176 or email registrations@noeticus.org.
• A Statewide Discussion on Prescription Drug Abuse Among Youth – Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 to 9pm. Free. Univ. of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Aurora. For more information, click here.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon – Wednesday November 20 from 5pm-7pm or Thursday November 21 from 10am-12pm, both held at the CASA office, Room 101.
Avon Library – Meetings will be held at the Avon Library: Wednesday November 20 from 10am-12pm

Hannah:
Leadville – By appointment.
Georgetown Clear Creek Courthouse – By appointment.

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

New Member Sworn In

Debra Michaud – CASA Volunteer – Summit County

In Lake County on October 2, Debra Michaud was sworn in as a CASA volunteer and friend of the court by Judge Thomas Moorehead. Debra went through CASA volunteer training last spring and has a diverse background including nursing, mediation and two adult children of her own. She has engaged in charitable and volunteer efforts over the years, and looks forward to making a difference in children’s lives.

For more information on how to get involved with CASA of the Continental Divide, go to www.mtncasa.org or call 970-513-9390.

Welcome Back Hannah!

As you all probably know, Hannah has been on maternity leave since her son, Owen, was born at the end of July. She will be returning to work on Friday, November 1! We all are looking forward to her return!

And with her return, Carol, who has been filling in part time during Hannah’s maternity leave, will return to her previous life as a CASA volunteer. Thank you, Carol, for all your help here in the office during the last few months!

Many Cases Still Need CASA’s

In the CASA office, we still have six cases that don’t have CASAs, especially in Eagle County. Please review the list below and let us know if you want more information about a case or whether you are ready to stand up and advocate for these children.
In Clear Creek:

1. Existing case with three boys ages 11 and 9. Previous CASA recently moved from the area.

In Eagle:

1. Existing case with one girl age 9 and one boy age 6
2. New case with two boys age 5 years and 10 months
3. New case with two girls age 3 1/2 years and 22 months

In Summit:

1. New case with one boy age 14
2. Existing case with two girls, 13 and 11, and one boy, 10

Optima Update

As of September 23, Optima is up in running for the CASACD office and its volunteers! Here are some of the things volunteers can now do!

• Log in to Optima over the Internet from their own computer, laptop, iPad or other mobile device. (If you need your login information, contact the office.)
• Enter contact logs directly into Optima as they happen (or at least within 72 hours!).
• Have access to current case data, such as CASA appointment papers, family service plans, CASA reports, and other case documents.
• Upload case documents sent directly to the CASA if they are not already available on Optima.
• Update ever-changing contact information for people associated with your case.
• Enter hearing information.
• See when the next hearing will be held.

However, as with any new technology, there are some things that we are still working out, so please be patient. For example, the court report process is still not where we would like it, so for the next month or so, please continue to write court reports the old-fashioned way in Word and email them to your advocate manager two weeks before your court date.

Technology Mentors Available

If you need more assistance with the switch to using Optima, we have technology mentors, people who are comfortable with technology and the Optima program and who would be willing to sit with others a few times to help them enter their data into Optima.

If you would like help from these technology mentors, contact the CASACD office.

Volunteer Training and Resources

• Summit County Lunchtime Learning presents Cognitive Disorders – Wednesday, Oct. 23, 12 to 12:50pm. Free. Ten Mile Room, St. Anthony’s Medical Office Building. Bring a brown-bag lunch. Call Mind Springs Health (formerly Colorado West) for more information.
• Making Therapy Work: Helping Clients Understand How to Work with Trauma and Other Difficult Experiences – Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 to 8pm. Free. Noeticus Office, 190 E. 9th Ave., Basement Conf. Room, Denver. Preregistration required. To register, call Laura Strube at (303) 399-9988 x176 or email registrations@noeticus.org.
• A Statewide Discussion on Prescription Drug Abuse Among Youth – Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 to 9pm. Free. Univ. of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Aurora. For more information, click here.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon – Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5 to 7pm and Thursday, Oct. 31, 10am to 12pm, both held at the CASA office, Room 101.
Avon Library – Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 to 7 p.m.

Carol (Interim Hannah):
Leadville – By appointment.
Georgetown Clear Creek Courthouse – Friday, Oct. 25, 9 to 11am.

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

Nels Hinderlie – CASA Volunteer Highlight – Eagle County

What made you decide to become a volunteer with CASA?

For several years, I was seeking a program or cause where I could use my interests and experience of working with families and children in our area. A friend of mine who was a CASA suggested the program and I attended the training in 2009 and found it was the right fit.

How long have you been a volunteer with CASA and what has that looked like?

I was sworn in as a CASA in November 2009. I have learned a lot along the way. At the outset, it was tough to know my place, but over time I began to realize that my advocacy for the children involved in each case was highly respected by the judges.

Why would you encourage others to become CASA volunteers?

I have found it gratifying to know that my involvement makes a difference in people’s lives. Also, it’s rewarding to be part of the team of people who pool their talents and resources to help children and families in need.

What is the most impactful part this volunteer experience?

We play an integral role in the entire process and really get to know all those involved with the case. Thanks to being in the midst of it all, we gain a greater perspective and really get to know the kids and parents on a different level than others on the case.

How do you spend your time aside from CASA?

I am the owner of Clearview Window Cleaning and during the winter I work as a supervisor in the Beaver Creek Children’s Ski & Snowboard School. I love the mountain environment and enjoy skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, golf and ice hockey.

For more information on how to get involved with CASA of the Continental Divide, go to mtncasa.org or call 970-513-9390.

Many Cases Need CASA’s

In the CASA office, we seem to be collecting cases that don’t have CASAs. Please review the list below and let us know if you want more information about a case or whether you are ready to stand up and advocate for these children. There are seven cases that currently need CASAs.

In Clear Creek:

1. Existing case with three boys ages 11 and 9. Previous CASA recently moved from the area.

In Eagle:

1. Existing case with one girl age 9 and one boy age 5
2. New case with two boys age 5 years and 10 months
3. New case with two girls age 3 1/2 years and 22 months

In Lake:

1. New case with one girl age 3
2. New case with one infant age 1 month

In Summit:

1. New case with one boy age 14

New Optima Web Based Database for CASACD

The CASACD office is changing over to a new way of tracking cases, kids, volunteers, and other data. It is Optima, a web-based program that was designed by a company cofounded by a former CASA director, Robert Hahn, and the program is specifically designed to meet the needs of CASA work. The web-based aspect means that CASAs and supervisors can log on anywhere on their own desktop, laptop, iPad, or even a smart phone. So whenever you have Internet access, you can enter notes, put in mileage and time as you make case contacts, update changes you find out about such as new addresses or caseworker changes, etc.

The downside for CASAs is the initial training required, which you have already heard about (and plan on attending Saturday, we hope!). The upside is much greater, though. No more monthly reports! Court reports are done by filling in a few fields with new information, and the rest will be automatically formatted and generated.

This will save everyone time and effort, and will allow CASAs to spend more time with the CASA kids and less doing paperwork.

The training on Sept. 7 is short notice, but the new program will be implemented starting Sept. 23, so time to get up to speed is limited. And our training will be led by Robert Hahn who cofounded the company! What a great opportunity!

If you have any questions about Optima, the webinars before the training, or the training itself, please call or email the CASA office.

Needed: Technology Mentors

With the new switch to Optima requiring more technology use, we know we have CASAs who are less comfortable with technology and are likely very hesitant with this change. We don’t want to lose experienced CASAs. So to support them, we are hoping to have some technology mentors, people who are comfortable with technology and the Optima program and who would be willing to sit with others a few times to help them practice entering their data into Optima.

If you are able to help people with this transition to using Optima after the training, call or email the CASA office and we will pair you up with someone who needs some support.

Volunteer Training and Resources

• CASA Volunteer Optima training (mandatory) – Sept. 7, 9-11am, 1-3pm, 5-7pm, Summit County Community and Senior Center in Frisco, 83 Nancy’s Place, off Peak One Blvd., near the Frisco Recycling Center. Register at Eventbrite.com. If you have your own laptop, iPad, smart phone, etc., bring it with you!
• Complex Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents training – Sept. 9, 9am-noon, Founder’s Room at Mile High United Way, 2505 18th St., Denver. $50. To register, click here.
• At-Risk Youth training – Tuesday, Sept. 10, 6-9pm, Family Tree’s Administrative Office – 3805 Marshall Street, Wheat Ridge, CO. $15. Register by clicking here. Child Abuse and Neglect and Runaway and Throwaway Youth.
• Informed Supervision training (Click here for invitation flyer) – Tuesday, Sept. 17, 9 to noon, Dillon Community Church. For CASAs with cases with child sexual offenders. Register: email admin@casa.colorado.net.
• Victims’ Rights Act training – Thursday, Sept. 19, 10:30-noon, COVA, 90 Galapago St., Denver. To register, email ami@coloradocrimevictims.org.
• Breckenridge Festival of Film 2013 highlighting child abuse and domestic violence. Special screening of “Pursuit of Truth,” “No One Knows,” and “The Children Next Door” at 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Village in Breckenridge, followed by a panel discussion including CASACD Executive Directory Kathy Reed. Click here for flyer or to go to www.breckfilmfest.com.

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen:
Dillon – Wednesday, Sept. 4, 5 to 7pm and Thursday, Sept. 26, 10am to 12pm, both held at the CASA office, Room 101.
Avon Library – Thursday, Sept. 12, 10am to 12pm, and Wednesday, Sept. 25, 5 to 7 p.m.

Carol (Interim Hannah):
Dillon – Friday, Sept. 20, 3 to 5pm held at the CASA office, Room 101
Leadville – Sept. 20 from 3 to 5pm and by appointment

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

View the entire newsletter here

Note From the Director

CASA volunteers,

Thank you so much for all you do!

I know that all of you give so much of your time and energy to the abused and neglected children of our counties. I want you to know that we in the office know that we are asking you to attend this training and taking away two more precious hours of your weekend and family time during this beautiful season. We do this because we believe you will get this time back!

This new program we are asking you to learn will let you spend more time with the children and on the case, and less time doing the paperwork, reports, and other time-consuming aspects of the position, while keeping everyone up-to-date and in the loop.

We in the office are excited to use a new program that will relieve a lot of the redundancy in what we do and allow us to spend more time providing help, support, and learning opportunities for the CASAs in our community. It will also allow us to have statistics at our fingertips for grants and reports on the excellent work you do without having to bother you for additional reporting information.

But we all have to make the change together. And we want you to know that we will continue to seek out supports for those who are less computer-savvy, while making case documentation easier for everyone.

So please, juggle your schedule and give up just a few hours on Sept. 7 to help us help you make this transition smooth and successful!

Kathy Reed
Executive Director
CASA of the Continental Divide

What is Optima?

And why is it mandatory that I be trained on it?

Optima is a web-based software suite created specifically for CASA that will make all your CASA documentation easier! It will go live for CASA of the Continental Divide starting Monday, September 23, 2013. All active and inactive (not currently appointed to cases) CASAs must attend this Optima training. Here are some highlights of how this will make your life easier:

• It is easy to use!
• It will be available on any computer you already use, e.g., your desktop, laptop, iPad or smart phone.
• Monthly reports go away! You will enter all case contacts you make as you perform them into any computer, iPad, smart phone, etc., with Internet access. Time and mileage is automatically reported.
• Court reports get easier, with some parts being automatically generated and other parts just waiting for your new information. Formatting is automatic!
• Contact information for all case participants is up to date and available from any computer with Internet access.
• There is common database access for all needed information for volunteers (case specific, of course) and supervisors.

To give you an idea of what this program looks like, one-hour webinars will be scheduled before the training. See the schedule at the right.

The training is approximately two hours, and will be held three times on Saturday, September 7, 9-11am, 1-3pm and 5-7pm. Both the webinars and the initial training will be led by Robert Hahn, one of the software company founders, Optima specialist, and a former CASA director.

We need EVERYONE to attend training. If you absolutely cannot make training that day, you must participate in the Optima portion of the new volunteer training that will be held Saturday, October 12 (time to be determined), taught by CASACD staff.
To make this transition work, EVERYONE has to be trained on how to use the software, so please do your best to attend this initial training.

View the entire newsletter

Volunteer Highlight

Joanie McMullan: Helping five children leave the horrors of their past behind them.

Thank you to Child Advocates San Antonio (TX) and Joanie McMullan for sharing this story with us.

I took on my second CASA case six months ago. It’s been my privilege, as a volunteer, to help these five children leave the horrors of their past behind them.

The children were brought into CPS custody on Christmas Eve, when the baby of the family was born with heroin pumping through his system. Their mother went straight to jail from the hospital. Their father fled the scene and was apprehended months later. Three of the children went to one foster home, the sick infant went to another. The other sibling, a five-year-old girl, had been reportedly sold; the Department of Family and Protective Services launched an investigation to find her.

The two girls taken into care had both been sexually abused by their father. The oldest, now seven, was sullen, rude, cursed continuously, wouldn’t mind any rules, refused to do her homework and ran away from her foster home. She was later found and returned. Both began therapy immediately, and I began eating lunch weekly with the seven year old. I could literally watch her transform as I showed up time after time. She began smiling more and waving at her classmates who looked across the table at us. Her confidence level began to rise. We would talk about appropriate versus inappropriate behavior, and I urged her each week to try something new…tell a friend she liked her shirt, tell her sister she loved her, turn in her homework to her teacher…etc. Finally, she was prescribed medications to help her anger issues. I’m happy to report that this little girl is a joy to be with; she no longer clings to my leg on the playground after lunch but asks if it’s ok if she plays with her friends!

The younger girl, three years old, was hallucinating, pulling her hair out, pulling her teeth out, scratching her arms until she bled, and exhibiting aggressive sexual behavior. She needed a second opinion to begin any psychotropic drugs; and together, the foster mom and I called over 30 doctors in San Antonio. Finally, I found a psychiatrist in New Braunfels who would take a new patient and Medicaid. This traumatized little girl is now on the road to recovery. She’s stopped screaming and harming herself, she is smiling more and using her vocabulary to communicate her needs.

The baby is doing well now in his seventh month of life. His shakes have gone completely, he is gaining weight and finally using sounds and facial expressions to communicate. He is adored by his foster mom.

The missing five year old was located; and, it turns out, the child was emotionally and physically abused by her mother and no loving bond ever formed. She had actually asked another woman to take her child because she didn’t want her. While she was fortunate to be in the most loving environment a child could ask for, she, at age five, had never experienced any type of learning environment because the caregiver had no paperwork to prove any sort of guardianship. Her first learning experience happened on a Saturday, at CASA, when I took her to an event called “Art and Soul.”

She enjoyed the experience so much. I was able to show her how to use scissors. When she saw them, she said “my mommy uses those.” I told her now she could, too. It was so special to watch this beautiful little five year old open her eyes and smile at everyone around her. I’m working now with my case worker to get paperwork so she can be enrolled in kindergarten for the fall. It is my hope that she will remain with her present family and that I will someday attend an adoption ceremony for this woman and child who love each other so dearly.

It’s been my enormous privilege to watch the seeds of hope be planted in each of these precious children.

Joanie McMullan, volunteer
Child Advocates San Antonio (TX)

Volunteer Training and Resources

OCR’s Summer Conference – July 29-30 at Silverthorne Pavilion. To register now, click HERE!
Colorado West’s Lunchtime Learning (topic TBD-but it will deal with psychological subject)- July 24th from 12-1pm at the Medical Office Building in Frisco. Bring your lunch!
CASA Volunteer Training – Trends in Substance Abuse – August 7th from 1-5 at the Frisco Medical Office Building. Second floor in the “Ten Mile Room”. Register for free at http://trendsinsubstances.eventbrite.com/

Volunteer Supervision

Colleen: Will be on vacation July 10-31st. Talk to Hannah if you need support.

Hannah:
CASA 101 – July 7th from 3-5pm, July 18th from 3-5pm and July 25 from 9-11
Leadville – July 26th from 10-12pm

If you need access to commonly used CASA forms or templates, use our public file for CASA.

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