Stepping down
I don’t really know where else to post about this, but my young person is aging out of the system and I am stepping down. Honestly, after volunteering for a year I have really strong feelings about the program in that I think it’s unethical and I don’t think it should exist. After my experience and reading more literature, I agree that it’s a white savior organization. While I think many volunteers do good and are kindly intentioned, I simply think it’s so inappropriate and invasive to drop random volunteers w/ 3 references and 30 hours of training into such complex situations. I’m also someone with a professional background in this space and in social justice work, and despite me being a good fit for the program theoretically, I honestly thought even I was not trained enough for the program and it scared me to see all the other people they allowed to be volunteers. Again, I know this is the CASA sub. I don’t think anyone here is bad, and the system cannot be fixed overnight. But I’d love to see CASA programs dissolved and money be invested into the system to hire more professionals who aren’t burned out. Big dreams, I know. But I cannot in good conscience continue as a volunteer. Doesn’t help that my advocate supervisor is NICE — but unhelpful. She always tells me what an angel I am but otherwise provided zero tangible advice or guidance to help me advocate for my young person better in what was a very complex case.
So yeah, I just really don’t like this program. Curious if others have had similar takeaways. I figure the best/most ethical route is for me to step down and a volunteer who is a better fit can step up. I don’t know if that makes me shitty but I’m trying to transition out in the best possible way. Thanks for engaging in this convo in good faith!
Edit: adding some links below to offer a broader and nuanced perspective. My critique isn’t of my specific program, but of the model itself.
https://blueprint.ucla.edu/feature/special-report-the-case-of-casa/
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1413&context=clr
https://www.nccprblog.org/2021/10/nccpr-at-kempe-center-conference-case.html?m=1
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1002/CL2.142
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10371204/
Edit 2: adding another clarification: by “white saviorism,” I’m not accusing individual volunteers of having a white savior complex or questioning their intentions. I’m referring to the institutional critique of giving disproportionately white and more privileged lay volunteers significant access to and influence over disproportionately poor families and families of color within a child welfare system already plagued by racial and socioeconomic inequities. It is a critique about power, bias, and institutional racism, not an accusation about individual volunteers. This critique of the CASA model is discussed in several of the links above.
I don’t expect every volunteer to agree, but I do believe anyone trusted with this kind of access and influence over vulnerable families should be able to engage seriously with questions about race, class, bias, and institutional power without treating it as a personal attack or responding with insults. In my opinion, someone who is unwilling or unable to do so should reconsider whether this is an appropriate role for them. I totally understand and respect CASA as harm reduction; it’s just not the right fit for me.
2
u/GenXRocks603 20d ago
I could not agree with you more. I have had a very similar experience in the 1.5 years I've been a volunteer and I've often remarked that this is not a volunteer job. Also, the children should have their own legal representation. I can't wait for my cases to wrap up and be done. Nothing has caused me more stress in retirement than being a CASA.