Administrator’s Monthly Musings
Watch for the new National CASA Branding Campaign
An exciting new CASA branding and marketing campaign was unveiled to participants in the National CASA Annual Conference on June 10. The campaign will be launched on June 17. It will feature advertisements on national television, print media, social media and movie theater outlets. The campaign intends to promote awareness of the CASA brand nationally and locally. It is expected to drive interest in volunteering to become a CASA Advocate and to donate funds to support CASA programs everywhere. Persons interested in volunteering or contributing to CASA will be directed to state and local CASA web pages. In Iowa, work is underway to prepare a new “landing page” to receive the inquiries and accept the applications of new volunteers who are attracted by the campaign.
In addition, the National CASA Association will provide grants to individual states to develop cascading media campaigns that will broaden and intensify the national campaign at the local level. The Iowa CASA program’s marketing team, which includes both staff and volunteers from throughout the state, is currently developing our plan and proposal for the use of these newly available funds. We will expand the reach of the national campaign through use of print ads in newspapers throughout Iowa and through the purchase of paid social media. This is the first time in many years that our CASA program is able to be part of a well-planned marketing campaign.
The marketing team will develop plans and guidance for all of us to use as we implement this campaign. All of us, board members, CASA and FCRB volunteers and staff will be able to contribute to the effectiveness of the campaign by “liking” posts we see on social media, writing letters to the editor of our local newspapers and by sharing what we see with our friends, neighbors and co-workers. We hope to see many new CASA program applicants – and eventually volunteers - throughout the state. This will allow our program to advocate for many more children among the thousands who need and deserve the support our CASA program volunteers provide.
Watch for the ads! More information to come within the next month.
Jim Hennessey
June 2019
ICAB Book Nook
In recognition of and respect for the critical importance of fathers in children’s lives, we’re offering A Guide for Father Involvement in the Systems of Care. This 53-page guide shares information about the importance of fathers in the lives of their children, and it identifies potential consequences if they are not involved. It also offers strategies for systems and families, especially those who are involved in systems of care, to help fathers become more involved. Section I discusses statistics about the presence and absence of fathers in families. Section II describes effects of fathers’ absence or presence in the lives of their children, and explains why children need an active father in their lives. Section III outlines ways in which systems of care can best support the involvement of fathers in individual and family service plans. Section IV explains how systems of care can involve fathers in all core dimensions of development (including family-driven, youth-guided services/ supports, cultural and linguistic competence, clinical services and structure, governance, social marketing, evaluation, logic model development, strategic planning, the technical assistance plan, and continuous quality improvement). Section V discusses three different cultural perspectives of fatherhood. Section VI focuses on the important role of young fathers in the growth and development of their children. Section VII, recognizing the increasing number of grandparents raising grandchildren, considers how best to involve grandfathers; and Section VIII explores the important role of fathers in the child welfare system. The Guide concludes in Section IX with a collection of national, state, and other resources, gathered to help readers learn more about the critical role of fathers in the lives of their children.
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For FCRB Members & CASA Advocates: Engaging Fathers and Paternal Family Members
Fathers have a critical role to play in children’s physical, emotional, and social development and are essential partners in the prevention of maltreatment and achievement of timely permanence. Father’s Day is a time in which we recognize fathers and father figures and their contributions to their children, as well as society overall. There are tremendous advantages that are afforded to children who have active, involved fathers during childhood and adolescence.
Casey Family Programs outline in their 2019 Strong Families Engaging Fathers Issues Brief the essential role of fathers and studies which highlight the myriad of benefits of father involvement for child safety and well-being.
   FCRB and CASA Advocacy in Action
- Inquire about the father, his past involvement in the child’s life, and current plan to include the father in court hearings and case planning.
- Recommend paternity testing to establish legal paternity, if necessary.
- Ask questions to identify paternal extended family members and consider as possible placement options, if necessary.
- If appropriate, recommend visitation between father and/or paternal relatives and the child.
- Encourage the father to participate in community-based services to meet the father’s needs, such as parenting classes.
For CASA Advocates: In-Service Training Credit
To build upon your advocacy knowledge and skills for working with parents, we offer an independent study Working with Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System as part of our trauma informed advocacy series. CASA Advocates can request this training from their Local Coordinator.
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Please print off and use to recruit a new volunteer!
 Iowa Child Advocacy Board
321 East 12th Street
4th Floor Lucas Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
childadvocacy@dia.iowa.gov
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