Writing an Effective CASA Report. Georgia CASA State Conference April 28, 2007

Transcription

1 Writing an Effective CASA Report Georgia CASA State Conference April 28, 2007

2 Expectations and Overview Back to the Basics Report Fundamentals Objectivity v. Subjectivity Being Persuasive Putting it all Together

3 Back to the Basics Take good notes!! Document, document, document Advantage: It will make it quicker and easier to draft your report. More thorough your notes, more thorough your report. Advantage: It will be easier to calculate how many hours and miles you have accumulated each month/quarter

4 Back to the Basics, cont d Present a professional-looking report Typewritten Grammatically correct Professional, consistent font White paper Signed by you and VC Remember, your report will become part of the court record

5 Back to the Basics, cont d Goal of Report: To use the best interest of the child standard and offer recommendations and advocate for permanency in an objective and persuasive manner. This is your one chance to communicate with the judge: all your hard work boils down to this one report!! Report should be fact-based and childfocused.

6 In the Interest of T.G. TPR case from Chatham County Factual situation: Domestic violence between mom and dad. At least 10 other incidences of DV, most were violent and in children s presence. Court found the children deprived. After mom didn t comply with reunification plan for 2 years, DFCS filed for TPR. It was granted, and mom appeals. TPR was upheld by Court of Appeals. Court of Appeals cited CASA 8 times in its opinion!

7 Back to the Basics, cont d Report is mechanism for advocacy Advocate for services, education, physical and psychological needs Studies show that advocating for services for children and their families is one of CASA s greatest strengths CASAs are in unique position to have time to identify resources Take advantage of community resources

8 Parts of the Report Heading CASA name Children s name and DOB Hearing date and type Background History (why kids came into care) Most relevant points in narrative form. Be as specific as possible with dates and events List events chronologically Generally, stays the same on each report

9 Parts of the Report, cont d Current Placement for each child Number of placements since children were removed Include reasons why placements were changed Relevant facts State only new facts since the last hearing Explain what services have been provided and results State your source. According to... Be concise. Use bullets. Avoid transcribing notes into report.

10 Parts of the Report, cont d Children s emotional/physical needs Ex. Counseling, visitation, medical attention, education Children s wishes for permanency Concerns (bulleted) Issues for the court s attention. Do not accuse DFCS or other parties!

11 Parts of the Report, cont d Recommendations (bulleted) (at bottom or top) Advocate for services for children and family Identify potential resources Advocate for placements (permanency) Request report-back hearing to check progress Signature Respectfully submitted Contact Information Can be a separate sheet or listed below heading Includes name, date of contact/attempted contact, and person s relationship to case

12 Quotations Use quotation marks only when exactly quoting a person or report When used properly, can be powerful and persuasive Small excerpts work better than large sections of quoted material

13 Addendums Used when a full report is unnecessary Ex. Continuances Addendum is analogous to a report update Staple to the top of most recent full report ***Consult with your volunteer coordinator to see if an addendum is appropriate!***

14 Objectivity v. Subjectivity Objective: Statement based in fact Neutral, unbiased Ex. Background history, relevant facts, recommendations Subjective: Personal judgment Biased, individual interpretation Ex. Children s wishes, concerns

15 Objective v. Subjective I think Brother and Sister s caretakers are acting selfishly and childishly. Because they can t get along, Brother and Sister haven t seen each other in over 4 months. I recommend that the judge order the caretakers to arrange sibling visitation. Brother and Sister have not visited each other in four months due to circumstances surrounding their caretakers relationships with each other. Brother continuously expresses his desire to visit with Sister. CASA recommends courtordered visits to ensure they stay bonded.

16 Being Persuasive Don t tell a court what it must do or cannot do. Use less confrontational language when referring to limits on court s authority or power Avoid: Court must... Court cannot... Court is not permitted...

17 Being Persuasive Edit out signs of negative emotion Logic and reason are much more persuasive than sarcasm or anger Check your perspective b/c a reader who suspects that you exaggerated one point will doubt your other points as well.

18 Edit out signs of negative emotion and check your perspective... A myriad of trained professionals have had countless challenges trying to deal with the multitude of the behavioral and emotional issues, yet these girls were sent back home many times over with an ill-equipped mother, ignorant to the ways which to deal with these issues and thus set up to fail... By repeating these actions several times, many years have gone by, and these girls have grown way out of the desired adoptable age and into what is sometimes deplorable behavior indicative of the instability of child protective service.

19 Being Persuasive Increase specificity to increase credibility Ex. Johnny has been acting out. Ex. This case has been ongoing since I received it in March Ex. Sally needs stability right now in her life. She is confused and rebellious.

20 Being Persuasive Eliminate opinion and add facts Ex. Although Mom and Step dad have stated that they want their family reunified, it appears that their actions don t always show that. I am concerned about what appears to be the lack of effort and urgency on the part of the them to keep this process moving. Mom is indifferent when it comes to taking initiative with specific suggestions to improve her family s chances to reunify.

21 Eliminate opinions and add facts: Although Step dad seems to have added stability to the family, Mom alone has demonstrated her inability to remain calm and act effectively when dealing with DFCS and the various court proceedings. Is Jimmy losing sight of who he is? If and when reunification comes, how difficult will it be for him to adapt to sharing attention with his brothers, to not receiving numerous, lavish gifts, and to not having the money to go and do everything his heart desires?

22 Eliminate opinion and add facts: Foster mom loves and adores Sam, but has it come to the point of obsession? If and when reunification becomes a reality, will Foster mom be able to let go?

23 Putting it all Together Submit report 2 days before court Proofread for grammar errors Volunteer Coordinator will help: Ensure your recommendations are fact-based. Suggest ways to articulate sensitive points Help you maintain your objectivity Remind you of omitted, relevant points Be open to constructive criticism

24 Final Do s and Don t s Do stay consistent w/ terminology Do refer to yourself in the 3 rd person, CASA recommends Do suggest resources Do ensure your report is fact-based, childfocused Do turn your report in on time and follow the directions of your local program! Don t write your report when you ve had a bad day Don t use a lot of adjectives Don t state opinions Don t write a 10 page report Don t accuse DFCS of dropping the ball Don t focus on the parties mistreatment of you

25 Volunteer Burnout: What if my recommendations are not ordered? You can have a great report and judge may not order CASA s recommendations Know that you provide a tremendous service and make a difference just by being a caring advocate who raises the bar in court!!

26 Questions? How to contact me: Angela Tanzella, Esq. Director of Advocacy and Program Development Georgia CASA / atanzella@gacasa.org