Welcome to the Buzz, CASA/LA’s hub for volunteer news, upcoming events, resources, and more! View a summary of the page’s contents below and feel free to click to jump down to the section that is most relevant to you. The Buzz is updated monthly and each month’s highlights can be delivered straight to your inbox.
If you have any suggestions about the Buzz or anything else CASA/LA-related, please submit to our suggestion box!
NEWS
Join CASA/LA Quarterly Happy Hour
When: Thursday, February 5th at 6:30pm
Where: All Season Brewing – 800 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Details: Join us for a chance to connect with fellow CASA volunteers in person. The Quarterly Happy Hour series in an in-person CASA Connection event that will travel all around Los Angeles to better foster relations between volunteers.
Questions: Contact Emily Scrimshaw
Congrats New CASA/LA Graduates!
We closed the year with two wonderful groups of new advocates to our CASA/LA team! Thanks to all 44 of you for your commitment to our young people.
Volunteer Voices: Debbie Martin
Debbie Martin, one of our 2025 CASA LA Volunteer of the Year Nominees, has served as a CASA for nearly 6 years. She lives in the San Fernando Valley and is a retired special education teacher and administrator. Her 40 years in this role has tremendously benefitted her role as a CASA, as her 16-year-old youth receives special education services. “My work experience in special education has helped immensely with her case. I understand a lot about the school-related obstacles she experiences. I serve as her Education Rights Holder, attend Individualized Education Program and school-related meetings, and feel like I help her a lot when it comes to her challenges in school,” Debbie shares. Her youth hopes to become a cosmetologist, and Debbie is happy to support her while she works to achieve this goal.
When asked how being a CASA has impacted her life, Debbie shares, “It’s given me a greater awareness of the foster care system and how frequent placement changes makes it so difficult.” The biggest challenge Debbie’s youth has faced is her many placement changes, and she recently was moved to a new foster home. “This has been a hard week,” Debbie shares, “but she will make it through this, and I will be here as a listening ear for her.” Debbie expressed an immense sense of gratitude towards her CASA Advocate Supervisor and shared that she wouldn’t be able to support her CASA youth without her supervisor’s support and guidance.
Thank you immensely, Debbie, for your dedication and service to CASA LA!
Help Us Build a Court Report Writing Training
We’re developing an in-service training series on court report writing, and we want to make sure it meets your needs.
Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or just starting out, we would love to hear from you.
Tell Us What You Think
Your feedback will directly shape the content, format, and focus of the training. We’re especially interested in:
- Areas where you need additional support
- Specific topics or skills you’d like the training to cover
- Tools, templates, or resources that would be helpful
- Preferred format and timing for the training (e.g., in-person, virtual, self-paced; daytime or evening sessions)
Click below to complete our short feedback form. It only takes a few minutes, and your input will make a big impact.
TRAINING
Upcoming Trainings
Other Training Resources
Logging Continuing Education Hours
CASA volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education each year to support their advocacy. We have launched a new system for tracking continuing education (CE) entirely in Litmos.
Click here to view the recording of the In-Service Training – CASA CE 101: Requirements, Tracking, and Logging Hours. This recording will provide an overview of everything you need to know about the new system AND it will count towards your continuing education hours.
If you need more background information, help logging into Litmos, or have other questions, please review the following guide documents:
Foster Together Network
The UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence is excited to share a collection of resources for child welfare professionals, generously supported by Pritzker Foster Care Initiative. Available on the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center, this curated collection includes handouts (also available in Spanish), videos, and online trainings that utilize evidence-based behavior management strategies and resilience-promoting parenting skills to reduce placements for children in LA County’s welfare system and promote family and individual development.
Learn more and view all available resources here.
Create an account and view resource library here.
Resources to Support Advocacy
New Volunteer Resource Hub
Click here to view our new shared resource folders. Our directory of resources will now live in these new folders. Only new and time sensitive resources will be listed in the Buzz.
Click here to submit your own resources. Submissions will regularly get added to the resource hub.
Ongoing Resources
Baby2Baby: Resources for Pregnant or Parenting Youth and Young Children
Talk with your advocate supervisor about requesting diapers/wipes and other baby supplies through CASA/LA from Baby2Baby. All orders must be placed by CASA/LA staff.
If your CASA youth is expecting and at least 6 months pregnant, please speak with your Advocate Supervisor about requesting a Welcome Baby basket.
For Goodness Cakes: Treats for Youth Birthdays and Graduations
For Goodness Cakes is a collective of professional bakers who volunteer to make cakes for youth facing adversity. They’d love to make a cake for your CASA youth! See their FAQ part 1 here and FAQ part 2 here. Reach out to your advocate supervisor to ask them to request a cake for your youth.
Pick up a Handmade Quilt for your Youth
Contact your supervisor if you haven’t yet gotten a quilt from the office for your youth. Once you pick one up, please complete the thank you note that comes with the quilt. You can take a picture of the note or scan it and email it to Lauri Halderman
Workshops for Youth in Antelope Valley Hub
Workshops for Resource Parents at AV Hub
Classes for Youth in AV Hub
Connection
CASA Connections
CASA Connections are intended to be positive social experiences that encourage CASAs to connect and build networks of friendship and support.
These spaces are all about sharing ideas, offering encouragement, and working together to find solutions using a strength-based approach. While it’s a great space to talk through challenges, it’s essential to keep the focus constructive and always protect the confidentiality of the children and families we support.
CASA Connection: Education Focused
Each month, our discussion will center around a specific topic related to educational needs. Next meeting, we will focus on the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), a foundational principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Identifying LRE involves making program decisions about what services and supports a student needs to be successful and where and how house services can be provided effectively.
We recognize the insight, dedication, and perseverance that you bring when supporting youth through these challenges. Whether you’ve seen progress, faced setbacks, or are still navigating what works best, we invite you to join the discussion and connect with fellow advocates.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 10th at 5.30pm-7pm (drop in anytime)
General Connection Group
Public Counsel Office Hours
Next Office Hour- Tuesday, February 10th, 12-1pm.
Need legal answers for your CASA youth?
Connect with Public Counsel’s Transition Age Youth (TAY) Team. They provide free, civil legal support to youth ages 16–26 who have experienced foster care. Their areas of expertise include:
- Housing law
- Family law
- Public benefits advocacy
- Education and more
Learn more about the team here.
Register to join a virtual drop-in session with attorneys from Public Counsel to:
- Ask questions specific to your youth’s situation
- Understand their legal rights
- Explore services and referrals available through Public Counsel
Please reach out to Emily Scrimshaw with any questions.
Sign Up for a 1-1 Consultation with an Education Attorney
Date: Wednesday, January 28th
Time slots: 9am, 10am or 11am
CASA/LA is hosting an IEP consultation clinic with the help of the Alliance for Children’s Rights. This clinic is an opportunity to consult one-on-one with an education attorney to get guidance about your young person’s education.
Steps to schedule a consultation:
- Check your availability: Confirm that you’re available on the clinic date and during possible appointment times. Tentatively mark these on your calendar
- Gather education documents: collect as many documents as you can from the last two years of your young person’s educational history
- Complete the consultation form
- Look out for a confirmation email
Note: Appointments are limited and scheduled on first come, first serve basis. Submit your form early to secure your spot.
Where: Zoom
REGISTER by completing consultation form
Contact Emily Scrimshaw with any questions
Book Groups
Coastline Book Group
When: Tuesday, February 17th at 1:30pm
Where: TBD CASA’s home
We’re Reading: Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond
RSVP: contact Lisa Baskin (ba*****@*******al.net)
*Space is limited to those with completed COVID-19 vaccines.
San Fernando Valley Book Group
When: January 14th at 7pm
Where: CASA’s Home in SFV
We’re Reading: “Letters to My Younger Self: An Anthology of Writing by Incarcerated Men”
RSVP: Contact Renne Bilson (rj******@*ol.com)
* Space is limited to those with completed Covid-19 vaccinations
Support casa/la
Become a Monthly Donor
Monthly donations are crucial to buffering our organization from the ups and downs of life, ensuring that there is no lull in service to the youth we serve.
Help us sustain our transformational programs through a monthly gift.
More Ways to Give
- Use your Ralphs Rewards Card to earn donations for CASA/LA.
- Donate your car, boat, RV, or motorcycle with Helping Hands Charity Services.
- Host a community drive.
- Consider CASA/LA in your planned giving.
- Invite others to become CASA volunteers.
Tiny Wins Are Going Fast - Don’t Miss Out!
Coffee with a Cause: CASA/LA x Black Aswad Coffee Co.
We’re thrilled to announce a meaningful new partnership with Black Aswad Coffee Co., a mission-driven brand committed to mental wellness, justice, and social impact. Through their premium blend, HAVEN, 20% of all proceeds will directly support CASA/LA’s advocacy on behalf of children in the foster care system.
Rooted in shared values, this collaboration is more than just a cup of coffee — it’s a daily act of awareness, solidarity, and change. Every bag you brew fuels the movement for equity, healing, and hope for youth in foster care.
Learn more and order your bag of HAVEN today: CASA/LA x Black Aswad Coffee Co.
Key guides & links
Court Report Writing Resources
Emotional Support for CASAs
We care about your well-being. All volunteers may access our EAP program for anonymous counseling.
Click here to learn about the CASA/ LA Benefits EAP for volunteers
Access services here with the code “worklife”
Volunteer Handbook
ETO: CASA/LA's Database
Need help with ETO? No worries, we got you covered. If the advocate handbook doesn’t have your answer, you can email the ETO helpdesk. Additionally, we have a recorded ETO training available on Litmos.