Child Advocates come in contact with childhood trauma as they get to know and support each child in their case.  Knowing more about childhood trauma enables us to spot the symptoms of trauma that foster parents, teachers, or health professionals may miss.  Trauma does not end just because children are placed with a caring foster family or a relative while their parents address the underlying issues that led to their children being removed from their care.

While we are advocates, not therapist or service providers, research shows that we help our children recover from trauma. The steady and consistent presence of a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) help develop the belief in children that adults can be trusted.  According to the author’s Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz,  “Relationships matter: the currency for systemic change was trust, and trust comes through forming healthy working relationships. People, not programs, change people.”

Based on fourteen years of contact from the children inside the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, the authors offer this insight,  “The research on the most effective treatments to help child trauma victims might be accurately summed up this way: what works best is anything that increases the quality and number of relationships in the child’s life.”

We encourage those who are looking for a way to give back to this community to get involved with CASA.  Apply, Train, Advocate . We desperately need Court Appointed Special Advocates and  Child Home and School Visitors.  Check out the Help Wanted section of our site to find out more. Schedule an interview and come in to talk with us.  We will help you consider your options and help you move forward in a way that works for you.