One Caring Adult Can Make A Difference
A glimpse of the relationship between Karl (CASA volunteer) and Jack (name changed) 15 year old male who was placed in the foster care system. Karl and Jack met in April 2021. At this time, Jack was not performing well academically, and his self-esteem appeared very low and his relationship with his biological mother was strained, and basically non-existent. After talking with Karl about the child welfare system, and how it works, Jack finally saw the benefits of being in the system, and wanted to improve himself in every aspect of his life.
Since the relationship between Karl and Jack started, there has been some impressive progress. After Jack sense of urgency to do well skyrocketed, it resulted in a new placement that has allowed him better access to more extended family members. As a freshman in a new school district, Jack is succeeding academically for the first time in four years, and now has started workouts with the high school football team. Karl and Jack’s relationship is strong, and it started when Karl told Jack, “he chose him and would stay with him until he was secure.” To this point, Jack very quickly started using Karl as a sounding board as they worked through issues together relating to his past abuse and troubled relationship with his mother. When Jack gets upset, he calls Karl. When they have outings, Jack continues to talk through new issues and concerns with Karl. They laugh a lot together. Karl even opened up more of his schedule to tutor Jack with his homework via Zoom. Jack was very reluctant to open up to his DHHS case worker or his lawyer guardian ad litem (LGAL). Therefore, they came to rely on Karl insights in his court reports because he wouldn’t share with them like he does with Karl. Based on Karl working with Jack and his mother, they have begun to talk and visit each other again after completely shutting down, and not communicating at all. In fact, the mother held Jack responsible for the child welfare system being a part of their lives. This was monumental for this family, and Karl has received numerous accolades on record in court hearings for the work he has done on this case.
This shared understanding has allowed his entire court team to support Jack in ways they couldn't before Karl was assigned. Karl stated that “it's extremely rewarding to see the impact a few hours a month of my time has had on this young man's life.”
This is what we call CASA Superpower!