Please adhere to the following guidelines as you work with your CASA child and work on your case. Remember, when in doubt, call your case manager!

Money

CASA does not have a rule that CASA volunteers cannot spend money on their children. However, following are specific guidelines:

• A CASA is not to give money directly to the child.

• If money is needed for a child's needs, such as shoes, extra-curricular activities, braces, clothing, school, etc., please first speak with CWS about funding for such needs. If you would like to help out financially, you must first speak with your case manager and the social worker for approval.

• If you would like to spend money while you are with your child, please focus on activities and not buying gifts for the child.

• Gifts: It is acceptable to purchase gifts for your child for events, such as his/her birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, Easter, etc. However, if the child is in a home with other CASA children, please communicate with the other child(ren)'s CASA(s) to coordinate amount of money spent. This will help alleviate competition and bad feelings between/among the children. Please do not make it a habit to bring gifts to your CASA child when you arrive for a visit. Remember that if for some reason you must leave the case, the next CASA may not be able to provide gifts and this can cause problems. Finally, when looking for gifts for your child for special events, there is a wonderful resource available: The Unity Shoppe. Talk with your case manager about how to use this generous resource.

• REMEMBER: The best gift you can give to your child is yourself, your undivided attention, not money!

Confidentiality

In your oath, you swore to maintain confidentiality on your CASA case. As part of this, please adhere to the following:

• Do not take your child to your home, or to your friend or family member's home.

• Do not introduce your child to anyone in your life. If you run into someone you know while with your child out in the community, simply introduce the child as, “This is my friend, __________ .”

• Do not talk about the details of your case with anyone in your life. Keep it very simple, such as, “I have been assigned to an eight-year-old girl who lives in foster care.” Giving more details may jeopardize that child and family's confidentiality.

Outings with your child

• No overnight outings.

• You may not take the child out of Santa Barbara County without permission from CWS and letting your case manager know.

Services

The CASA program does not set up or provide services to CASA children. It is the role of CWS to set up services and the role of the service providers to provide such services. As such, the CASA volunteer is not to set up or provide any type of service, such as:

• Giving legal advice

• Providing therapeutic counseling

• Setting up appointments

• Making placement arrangements for the child

Emergency situations

You have been given an emergency number to use after hours on weekdays (5:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.), on weekends, and during holidays when the office is closed (North and South County have different emergency numbers). If a staff member does not answer right away, we will return your call as soon as possible, as we may be handling another emergency situation.

• Please carry the emergency number with you at all times. That way, when you are out with your child and an emergency arises, or if you are away from your home when an emergency arises, you have the number handy.

• In the event of an emergency, please call our emergency number before making any decisions (unless, of course, the child is in immediate danger that necessitates calling 911). The CASA staff person will help guide you through what to do in your given situation.

• Do not ask friends or relatives to help in the emergency situation. For example, they cannot meet the child, transport the child, or have the child in their homes. Remember, you are not to introduce your CASA child to other people in your personal life. (If an exception arises that you feel would be in the child's best interest, you must contact CASA staff first to receive approval. This includes non-emergency situations).

• If a child is threatening to run away, has run away, or does not want you to take him/her back to his/her home, call us right away. We will then have you contact CWS through the sheriff's department and CWS will make decisions from there. It is okay for you to stay with the child until you talk with CWS.

• You cannot transport the child to another placement. For example, if your child has run away or is threatening to run away, do not transport the child to the place he/she would like to go. Again, call us right away and we will help you with what to do. Taking the child to another placement is akin to placing the child, which is outside the role of the CASA volunteer.

We realize that other types of emergency situations arise in which you are not sure what to do. Again, please call our emergency number and receive guidance before making any decisions. This will best help everyone, including you, the child, and the CASA program.

Thank you, and please contact your case manager with any questions.

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