In a powerful conversation, Sherrie Bradford from CASA LA’s Recruitment and Outreach team sat down with CASA volunteer Joshua Prudhomme to discuss the significant systemic impact of being a CASA. They explored the CASA’s role as a “quarterback” in a complex child welfare system, where they help drive tailored service provision, accountability, and the cultivation of supportive communities where all youth can thrive.
Becoming an Advocate
Joshua’s path to becoming a CASA in 2024 was years in the making. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, his first full-time job was in a high-level group home (STRTP) setting in Los Angeles County. He later managed the Guardian Scholars Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he supported former and transition age foster youth navigating college while he pursued a PhD in the School of Education.
Though his career took him into the depths of education policy research, Joshua always held a goal: to return to direct service when he had the professional stability to commit fully. “Being a CASA was much more than just a mentorship,” Joshua noted, reflecting on his decision to apply. “It felt like a good, real responsibility.” Today, he advocates for an 18- year-old young man and his twin brother who recently achieved massive milestones: transitioning into their very first independent apartments.
View this post on Instagram
The CASA as the “Quarterback”
One of the most salient metaphors from the interview is Joshua’s description of the foster care continuum as a massive, bureaucratic ecosystem filled with social workers, attorneys, kin care workers, service providers, and therapists. Because professionals face exceedingly high caseloads, critical details frequently slip through the cracks.
“The CASA steps up and plays a role of, honestly, there’s a lot of quarterbacking— coordinating services, and being there day one with the youth,” Joshua explained. Sherrie, sharing her own lived experience of growing up in the foster care system without a CASA, validated this gap. She recalled the overwhelming influx of rotating adults in her life and the frustration of having her own voice muted in official documentation.
View this post on Instagram
The Power of Strength-Based Court Reports
A core pillar of a CASA’s legal influence is the mandated court report submitted directly to dependency judges. Sherrie pointed out a fundamental difference in how CASAs approach these documents compared to traditional caseworkers: they use an asset- and strength-based approach instead of focusing on deficits.
Joshua expanded on how a CASA’s direct, relational knowledge translates into legal weight. Because judges trust and value the insights provided by CASAs, simple observations can turn into massive changes. Joshua shared an example common in the CASA community: noticing a youth is constantly cold might lead to an iron deficiency test, revealing anemia that had gone unnoticed by a crowded care team.
“It’s really just things that they’ve been saying all along, and that you’re echoing,” Joshua said. “You repeat it on paper, and now it magically has much more power and weight to it.”
View this post on Instagram
Fighting for Educational Equity and Systemic Accountability
The interview also explicated the structural hurdles foster youth face, particularly surrounding placement instability and educational rights. Every move to a new foster home often means a change in school districts, where transcripts are frequently mishandled. Sherrie noted that youth are routinely misplaced in arbitrary electives, causing them to fall behind in core subjects like algebra and miss graduation timelines.
CASAs often step in as official Education Rights Holders. They fight the administrative battles, make sure credits are transferred in a timely manner, and demand that schools place youth in the advanced tracks they belong in.
Beyond paperwork, being a CASA means providing a safe runway for young people to grow. Joshua emphasized that a volunteer’s job isn’t to shield youth from every mistake, but to stay by their side when mishaps inevitably happen.
“Building independence is important, but you can’t build independence without community. And CASA Is Community.”
Champion Every Child. Become a CASA.
As Joshua highlighted, navigating the bureaucratic foster care system requires a “quarterback” who can fight for educational equity and ensure a youth’s strengths aren’t lost in the paperwork. At CASA of Los Angeles, our mission is simple but profound: to champion every child with the tailored advocacy and community accountability they need to thrive.
Inspired by Joshua’s story? Learn how to become a volunteer advocate or make a donation today to champion youth in LA County’s child welfare system.