Monthly Morsels and Musings
from the ICAB Administrator
Starting this month, I will include a short article in every newsletter throughout the year. I would like to use this as a means of keeping you up to date with our key initiatives so that you are aware of what is going on. This will include brief reports on:
- program enhancements we are pursuing to increase the impact of your work as you strive to help children find a better future,
- plans for moving into a future in which we work together to provide advocacy and support to more Iowa children through the FCRB and CASA programs,
- status of important program funding and policy issues, and
- messages we would like you to help get out to others in your communities.
I start by thanking all of you for your commitment to the mission of advocating for Iowa’s vulnerable children. Please take a look at the Child Advocacy Board Annual Report for fiscal year 2018. You will find it on the Child Advocacy Board website at https://childadvocacy.iowa.gov/annual-report
The report highlights the contributions you made during the last year, shares some stories about success that you bring to children in our state, includes some recommendations from the Child Advocacy Board to improve the operation of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and provides an overview of data about children involved with child welfare. I want to be sure you have a chance to see the introductory letter from our Board Chair Beth Myers as well.
During the next few months, we will be ramping up our efforts to get a message to the public and to public officials about what the CASA and FCRB programs do and how your work helps children. We anticipate investing a small amount in advertising the message, but hope that most of this effort can be accomplished through more informal word of mouth communication. We are most grateful that one of our long-term CASA Advocates, Carol Bamford, has stepped up to help Marla Treiber lead this effort. We will keep you informed of what we are up to and also let you know how you can help share the word.
National CASA Association Implements New State
Program Standards and Measurements
For the past several years, the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (NCASAA) has been working on restructuring their programming in effort to provide better service to their member network of over 900 CASA and GAL programs nationwide. Part of this re-visioning has included the development of State and Local CASA/GAL Program
Standards to better define advocacy issues of quality and effectiveness, along with operational issues such as board governance and program administration.
Although many of standards have been in place for years, the Association has refined the standards, included an explanation of why the standard exists and redefined the measurement of whether a program is meeting the standard.
Each program standard falls under one of six pillars that National CASA has determined most important in working towards becoming a “highly effective” service organization. These pillars are 1. Mission and Values, 2. Funding, Legislation and Presence, 3. Staff, 4. Leadership, 5.
Governance and 6. Service. The National Association will determine if a State Organization is meeting the criteria for each standard by defining the program requirements, required documentation, related practices and resources for each of the 51 standards.
Below is an example of Standard 3 found under Pillar 1: Mission and
Values.
 Each State Organization will undergo an on-site visit from National CASA at which time the State Organization will be responsible for providing all documentation and information necessary to demonstrate compliance with the standards. The State Organization will then receive a rating
commensurate with National CASA Association Staff findings. The rating of Established Program, Advancing Program or Highly Effective Program will dictate how often the State Organization will participate in an onsite review with National CASA; annually, bi-annually or every three years. The Iowa CASA State Organization is slated for on-site review in 2020. The new
Local CASA Program Standards are scheduled for release in April 2019.
 Read more using the links below:
 CASA Advocates can request this independent training from their Local Coordinator or the ICAB State Training Specialist at lesa.christianson@dia.iowa.gov
For a complete list of all available CASA in-service training's: Advocate In-Service Training's
 Volunteers make an immeasurable difference in the lives of others. Oftentimes, they perform with the core intention of helping others. But did you know that volunteering can benefit your own health as well? Researchers have attempted to measure the benefits that volunteers receive including positive feeling referred to as helper’s high, increased trust in others and increased social interaction. From lowering stress to boosting self-confidence, research has shown that volunteering offers many health benefits, especially for older adults, such as:
- Volunteering decreases the risk of depression. Research has shown that volunteering leads to lower rates of depression, especially for individuals 65 and older. Volunteering increases social interaction and helps build a support system based on common interests — both of which have been shown to decrease depression.
- Volunteering gives a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills. Volunteers, such as those at Mayo Clinic Health System, perform critical roles in assisting patients, families and staff. They serve as greeters providing patient room information and directions, as transporters of patients and patient items, and as surgery and Critical Care waiting room attendants. They make prayer shawls, blankets, sweaters and hats typically given to newborn babies and cancer patients. Services they provide include working in the hospital gift shop, performing clerical duties for staff and offering pet therapy to patients through the Paws Force team. The work that volunteers provide is essential to everyday processes, which gives volunteers a sense of purpose.
- Volunteering helps people stay physically and mentally active. Volunteer activities get you moving and thinking at the same time. One study found that volunteering among adults age 60 and over provided benefits to physical and mental health. Another study found that, in general, volunteers report better physical health than do non-volunteers. Older volunteers experience greater increases in life satisfaction and greater positive changes in their perceived health as a result of volunteering.
- Volunteering may reduce stress levels. Volunteering may enhance a person’s social networks to buffer stress and reduce risk of disease. By savoring time spent in service to others, you will feel a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect.
- Volunteering may help you live longer. An analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging found that individuals who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who do not, even when controlling for age, gender and physical health. In addition, several studies have shown that volunteers with chronic or serious illness experience declines in pain intensity and depression when serving as peer volunteers for others also suffering from chronic pain.
- Volunteering helps you meet others and develop new relationships. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to participate in a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people who share common interests with you. Dedicating your time as a volunteer also helps you expand your network and practice social skills with others.
Volunteers at Mayo Clinic Health System come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but share the common desire to help others. They are men, women, retirees, teenagers, former patients, professionals, homemakers and students. They volunteer for different reasons: to explore health care careers, sharpen skills to re-enter the work world, stay active during retirement and put their free time to good use.
Iowa Child Advocacy Board
321 East 12th Street
4th Floor Lucas Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
childadvocacy@dia.iowa.gov
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