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News and Events 
March is Social Work Month
All People Matter is the theme for Social Work Month 2014. According to the National Association of Social Workers website, "Social workers believe that everyone has the right and potential to lead a productive and fulfilling life. Social workers believe in the importance of human relationships in civil society, and that each person has dignity and worth."
A huge thanks to all social workers - especially our colleagues at the Office of Children's Services , who work so hard every day to achieve the goal of Safe Children, Strong Families in Alaska.  April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
The theme for this year's National Child Abuse Prevention Month is Making Meaningful Connections. When we make meaningful connections with the children, youth, and families in our communities, we can help parents build the knowledge and skills and access the resources necessary to raise happy and healthy children. Everyone can play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect and promoting child and family well-being.
May is Foster Care Awareness Month
Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of the more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system. The campaign raises awareness about the urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved - as foster or adoptive parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways.(Editor's Note: as of this writing, the website is under construction for 2014)
Thetas Support Alaska CASA
SAVE THE DATE! Annual Theta Garage Sale is May 17
Rain, snow or shine the annual Theta Garage Sale benefiting CASA is set for May 17 in Anchorage. It's part of the GIANT Kempton Hills garage sale, so all you bargain shoppers can make the rounds. Start gathering your unneeded items NOW to donate to the sale. Watch for additional details soon on our website, Facebook page and in a special e-Bulletin. Questions? Contact Alaska Theta President Sarah Martinez (phone: (765) 719-1215).
NCASA Conference Lottery Winners Congratulations to the three lucky winners in the National CASA conference lottery sponsored by Friends of Alaska CASA. Melissa Pickle (Anchorage CASA), Francine Chiklak (YK Delta CASA), and Penney Curry Champney (Valley CASA) are all on their way to the 2014 National CASA conference in Grapevine, Texas this June. (See National CASA News for conference details).
Upcoming Training Opportunities
 Alaska CASA Statewide WebinarJoin us for our first statewide continuing education webinar on March 18th from noon-1 p.m. Jennifer Romer of the Anchorage School District's Title VII Indian Education Department will share information that is sure to benefit the Alaska Native or American Indian child or youth you are advocating for. Topics will include: What is Culture?, Indian Education Overview, Types of Services Offered to Qualifying Students, Educational Advocacy Resources. (Minimum participation is 15 people) To register, email Alaska CASA now.
SAVE-THE-DATE: Next quarterly Statewide Alaska CASA Webinar is June 17th from noon-1:00 p.m.
 Early Childhood Mental Health Institute Mark your calendar for April 7-9 to attend this year's Early Childhood Mental Health Institute. Visit the website to view the agenda, meet the presenters, and register.
Knowing Who You Are
Knowing Who You Are (KWYA) is a 3-part training developed by Casey Family Programs for social workers and other child welfare professionals in which participants explore their own racial and ethnic identity in order to support foster children and youth in developing theirs. KWYA workshops are held in locations around the state throughout 2014. Visit our website for a location near you.
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Cultural Corner 
Defining Cultural Competence
In the context of the CASA volunteer role, cultural competence is the ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds. It entails being aware and respectful of cultural norms, values, traditions, and parenting styles of those with whom you work. Striving to be culturally competent means cultivating an open mind and new skills and meeting people where they are, rather than making them conform to your standards.
Each child and each family is made up of a combination of cultural, familial, and personal traits. In working with families, you need to learn about an individual's or family's culture. When in doubt, ask the people you are working with. It might feel awkward at first, but learning how to ask questions respectfully is a vital skill to develop as you grow in cultural competence. Once people understand that you sincerely want to learn and be respectful, they are usually very generous with their help.
Developing cultural competence is a lifelong process through which you'll make some mistakes, get to know some wonderful people in deeper ways, and become a more effective CASA volunteer. (Culturally Competent Child Advocacy, CASA of Linn County)
 Elevating Cultural Competence Statewide Alaska CASA has launched an initiative to elevate the level of cultural competence, and increase the awareness, understanding, and knowledge of Alaska Native cultures amongst our current volunteers and program staff. We plan to achieve this by offering continuing education content on diversity, culture, disproportionality, and disparate outcomes; collaborating with OCS and other community partners to identify and address disproportionality issues, and by training 25% of our CASA volunteers in the Knowing Who You Are curriculum.
In the next e-News: "What does a Culturally Competent Advocate look like?"
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Anchorage CASA
 | | June Haisten to Retire |
Time Flies When You're Having Fun!
As you know I often joke about how long I have been working at OPA. In many ways it feels like I started yesterday, but the reality is the year was 1990. So with great sadness, I am retiring on May 30. My role as either CASA supervisor or program coordinator has always been to provide support and training to you. When I reflect back over the years, I know that my life has been enriched by knowing you. As for training, you have so generously shared your knowledge and wisdom and have taught me so much. Your enthusiasm, commitment and support has been an inspiration to me and made me a better child advocate. While the technical term is retiring, in my mind, it is a time for new beginnings. In the next month or so look for an email from me inviting you to a gathering, not to say goodbye, but to say thank you in person. So until then, I hope to see you at a CASA continuing education opportunity! Check out the website for the complete list of upcoming trainings.
CASA Kudos
Shannon Hawkins, Katherine Matolcsy, Panu Lucier, Julie Galligan, Erin Reading, Elizabeth Stewart and Reagan Tomlinson all deserve Kudos! Find out why.
Spring 2014 CASA Training
It may be hard to believe, but spring is just around the corner and that means that Anchorage is actively recruiting for the April CASA core training. I need your help. Please spread the word about the training by sharing the flyer with family, friends or co-workers. If you have the time, bring any interested people to one of the information meetings. Thanks for your support! Training begins April 2. The complete schedule is available on our website.
Information Meetings held at BP Energy Center
Tuesday, March 25 at noon
Wednesday, March 26 at 6 pm
-June Haisten
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Fairbanks CASA
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CASA Kudos
HUGE shout out to Jeannette Scott for the time and effort she devoted to putting together the Women's Safety Symposium as a benefit to Fairbanks CASA. Along with providing a valuable educational program for our community, she used it as a way to support her fellow volunteers in their work and spread the word about CASA. There were news bits about the symposium in the papers (Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau!) and on the evening news. Thanks to Jeannette's efforts, we have a sizeable handful of gift cards for you to use with your youth - movies, bowling, Subway, etc.
Spring Training
We're gearing up for another training for new volunteers to begin in April. We'll be using the Flex Learning curriculum again and current volunteers are welcome to join us. Please let me know you'd like to attend so I can plan accordingly.
CASA Appreciation Lunch
Mark your calendars! Thanks to Friends of Alaska CASA, we will be hosting an appreciation lunch on Tuesday, April 22. This will be a wonderful opportunity to come together as a program, meet fellow volunteers, and recognize the many accomplishments our volunteers have made.
-Anne Udry
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Juneau CASA
I just want to say that I really love sunshine. And we have had so much of it recently - along with some beautiful auroras. Why would you want to live anywhere else?
David McCormick from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence joined us for a brown bag on March 12. Dave focused on how heroin and methamphetamine impacts parents and families. 
CASA KUDOS
Thanks to Allison Hanzawa for her work with her youth that has just aged out of the system.Her youth had significant mental health issues and Allison was very helpful in transitioning the youth to an adult guardianship.
Thanks to David Crossman and Mark and Teresa Kissel for stepping in and helping with some older cases. I know that the attention that they will to devote will make a difference in these cases.
Jean Mischel is going above and beyond with her CASA kid.
Don Harris just participated in a three day termination trial and helped with all the facts that he knew.
Patsy Westcott also deserves acknowledgment for all of her hard work with her very frustrating case.! Thanks for all the work that you do! -Lynn Squires-White
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Kenai Peninsula CASA  
A partnership between Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Office of Public Advocacy
SPRING TRAINING
It seems like just yesterday we graduated a new group of volunteers, but that has not stopped us from setting our Spring 2014 core training dates for April 3-26, 2014. We anticipate having a class of around 8 new CASA volunteers. If you know of someone that might be interested in becoming a CASA volunteer, we have one more information meeting scheduled on March 18 at 5:30pm.
KUDOS
Kudos to Cherrie Verkuilen for the amazing work she has been doing as a volunteer for 4 boys. Cherrie has been working tirelessly to ensure the special needs of these boys are being addressed. Without the work she has done, the boys would not have the services in place they so desperately need. Great job, Cherrie! We would also like to recognize Eileen Bryson who was recently assigned to a tribal court case.
SAVE THE DATE
2nd Annual Superhero 5K
Saturday, August 16, 2014
11:00 a.m. start
Kenai Park Strip
Every child needs a hero, but abused and neglected children need a SUPERHERO! Participants are encouraged to come out in their best superhero outfit (though not required). Fun for the whole family! Follow us on our Facebook page for the latest. WINTER RECAP
Kenai Peninsula CASA was BUSY this winter. Read about what we've been up to. -Joy Petrie
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Valley CASA 
Valley CASA would like to extend a very warm welcome to Karen Gregory. Karen was sworn-into the program on March 6. She brings with her an enormous amount of energy and wide ranging-experiences - we are very fortunate to have her as a part of the program!
CASA Kudos
With a very heavy heart we bid farewell to Marian Charles who has recently decided to devote more time to travel and family obligations. Marian has been a volunteer since 2007; her most recent case involved 7 children. Thank you Marian for all of your work as an advocate - you will be missed!
Dena Ivey, State ICWA Coordinator for OCS, joined our February continuing education to discuss the book Yuuyaraq:The Way of the Human Being (available as a PDF). The book has a great deal of perspective to add to the discussion of historical trauma within the Alaska Native community. It is certainly worth reading and talking about. The Valley CASA program has a full agenda of continuing education opportunities offered on the second Tuesday of the month. Be sure to check the website for the time, location, and topic.
Growing Valley CASA
If you know of anyone who would make a great CASA volunteer, please encourage them to contact Jessica via email or by phone at (907) 707-1743.
-Jessica Clarkson
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YK Delta CASA | | CASA volunteers Patty and Francine with Gloria |
Watch out Texas, here we come! Way to go Francine for getting chosen to attend the National CASA Conference. Alaska is going to have great representation! Watch for information to be shared after the conference. Annual CASA Appreciation Dinner Our 2nd annual dinner to celebrate the hard work of our volunteers was on January 30th. Thank you to Yuut for allowing us to use their beautiful space, to those who made a dish for our potluck-style dinner, and to the families who joined us for the event! CASA Kudos
Francine Chiklak has taken a hands-on approach in securing a forever home for her child. Her knowledge of the region and the families within the region has made it easier for her CASA-child to find the right forever home quicker. Thank you for working on the best interest of your child's future.
The case that Patty Jones had wasn't moving forward and this placed her child at risk of moving to other placements. But with the will of an Iron Lady, Patty was able to get her child's case closed and placed in his adoptive home. Great Job!
CINA Practitioner Training Join us on March 21 from 12:00-5:00 for a half-day of training on information relevant to anyone working with Yup'ik families. Topics will include overviews of Healthy Families: The Yup'ik Way, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Historical Trauma, and Building Resiliency. Read more here.
Spring Training
Our next CASA pre-service training will begin April 9th. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please have them contact me. Training dates and times can be found on our website where you can also find information about other events.
-Valerie Dudley
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Friends of Alaska CASA
We are delighted to announce the winners of the CASA Volunteer Scholarship Lottery for the 2014 National CASA Conference: Melissa Pickle of Anchorage, Francine Chiklak of Bethel, and Penney Champney of the Mat-Su Valley. We look forward to hearing from Melissa, Francine and Penney when they return as they share what they learn with their fellow CASA volunteers.
We are also happy to be able to provide supplemental funds so that all of the Alaska CASA program staff will be able to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to share ideas with other CASA programs around the country and to learn new ideas that will benefit all of the Alaska CASA programs throughout the state.
We continue to search for new Board members. We currently have representation on the Board from Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Mat-Su Valley. We would welcome new members from any program, and would especially like to find representatives from each of the other programs - Juneau, Bethel, and Kenai Peninsula. Board members do not have to be CASA volunteers, just people interested in supporting the CASA program. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please write us.
A giant THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has contributed to FAC. Whether through Pick.Click.Give, Alaska Share (the state employee charitable giving program), Federal CFC (the federal employee charitable giving plan), or through the Quilt Auction or other donation - we want you to know that we work very hard to use these funds responsibly and to support CASA volunteers and the abused and neglected youth in state custody in as many ways as we can. We could not do all this without you!
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Facing Foster Care in Alaska
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FFCA members at the Capital. More pictures from the Juneau retreat are on our Facebook page.
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Twenty FFCA participants from all over the state arrived in Juneau in style: taking limos to visit the glacier. We practiced story sharing, and spent our free time bowling and enjoying a bonfire! Then we had a great day at the Capital meeting with legislators, sharing our stories, doing news interviews, and pushing foster care reform!
The next FFCA retreat is scheduled for May in Anchorage. If you know a youth who would like to attend, contact Amanda for more information.
New Website Launched
Check out our new website: ffcainak.com. You can donate to FFCA with a click of your mouse, find the dates for the statewide retreats, and so much more. Let us know what you think of our new look. And don't forget to follow us on our Facebook page!
-Amanda Metivier, MSW
FFCA Executive Director
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 News From OCS
What Is the Child and Family Services Plan, and How Can I Help? by Kim Guay, Child Welfare Administrator
The Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) is a strategic plan for OCS that sets our goals and priorities for the next five years. This plan will need to be submitted to the Federal Government by June 30, 2014. The Plan requires statewide collaboration with tribal partners, youth, biological parents, and many other important stakeholders.
To accomplish this task, OCS and some of our Tribal Partners are hosting community cafés around the state. A community café is an entertaining meeting format that is useful in gathering information. We have contracted with an expert in community cafés to facilitate these meetings. In the coming months there will be a variety of opportunities that you can participate in by the way of offering ideas and feedback about how to strengthen our child welfare system here in Alaska. The dates are as follows:
- Anchorage: April 1 and 25
- Dillingham: April 24
- Kenai: March20
- Bethel: April 21
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- Fairbanks: April 3
- Nome: April 7
- Juneau: March 13
- Ketchikan: March 14
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There will be other opportunities to provide feedback if you are unable to attend any of the scheduled community cafes such as facilitated teleconferences, and internet link to provide written feedback. This information will be listed on the Child Welfare Academy's web page as well as all specific locations for the community cafes.
We value your thoughts and energy into helping guide OCS in creating the CFSP by making Alaska children safe and families strong.
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National CASA News  
Have You Registered?
60 workshops + 100 speakers and faculty + 1,200 attendees = Many opportunities to learn and grow!
Each year, more than 1,200 CASA and guardian ad litem staff, board members, volunteers, judges, attorneys and other child welfare professionals gather to connect with peers and learn from leaders in the field. As one CASA volunteer said, people who come to National CASA's multi-disciplinary conference are "people who believe that kids count."
Visit the website for conference details.
Winter Issue- Focus on FASD
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 Tribal Court CASA
Tribes interested in learning more about tribal court CASA programs are invited to contact Valerie Dudley, Rural Programs Specialist with Alaska CASA.
Valerie developed an information packet specifically for tribes that want information about: the benefits of adding a CASA program to tribal courts that hear child abuse/neglect cases, potential funding for CASA programs, affiliation with National CASA, and more. In addition to the packet that Valerie can send you, she has added tribal court CASA resources to our website, including a readiness assessment and links to additional resources.
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