Volunteer Spotlight - Doug Cameron, CASA Advocate & FCRB Member

When Doug Cameron was an elementary school principal, he witnessed the positive work of both the CASA Advocate and FCRB Member volunteer positions in advocating for children in foster care, and he became interested in serving.

Doug and his wife adopted their youngest daughter, Kim, twenty years ago, when she was a ten-year-old in foster care. When he retired, he knew it was time to give back to the system that had helped her so much. Doug states, “A lot of people fail to realize that CASA and FCRB are in place to help children who are in terrible situations in their lives to be as comfortable as humanly possible. I knew this through personal experience and knew it was something I wanted to do and had to do.” Doug has been involved as a CASA Advocate and FCRB Member for ten years.

As to what helped him be ready to do his job as a child advocate, Doug believes it was his 38 years as an elementary school teacher and principal. In these jobs he had the opportunity to see children who lived in a variety of environments. He said, “I learned early that one should never make snap judgments about children and their family circumstances. Also, we adopted Kim who attended my school when she was ten years old. A lot of people expressed how fortunate Kim was to be in our home. I learned quickly that we were the fortunate ones, not Kim. She started life over, a difficult task for anyone, let alone a ten-year-old child. I learned more from Kim than she did from me I am sure.”

When asked what Doug finds rewarding about his CASA/FCRB experience, Doug aptly answers that the rewards are difficult to measure because of the fragile situations involved. He truly believes being a CASA and FCRB Member has made him realize that despite terrible circumstances, there is good in everyone. An example Doug shared is about ‘Amy’ (name changed). “Amy was part of one of my CASA cases. She was a tough 15-year-old. In her words, she ‘was not going to take any shit off of anybody.’ But, she was very nurturing to her little brother, and when her brother was getting picked on she handled herself appropriately and firmly despite wanting to ‘beat the crap out of the bully’. She was not the hard case people thought she was.”

Doug also shared that meeting some amazing counselors, social workers, foster parents, parents, attorneys and teachers, all of whom work very hard for children, has been rewarding as well.

In talking about challenges of this work, Doug said for him it is to remain unattached, but not detached. He explains that to be “detached” sends the message to families and children that you don’t care; to be “unattached” shows caring but not overstepping beyond established boundaries. He finds it sometimes difficult to step back and say, “I can’t fix this.” Another challenge Doug mentioned is that he is sometimes familiar with the parents of children he sees in his CASA/FCRB roles that were his former students, and he finds this a bit awkward.

Doug believes being involved as a CASA Advocate and FCRB Member has most definitely benefited him in other parts of his life. He states, “I feel I have greater respect for the circumstances in which people live. Also, I am pretty quick to jump to the defense of those people who work within the foster care system.”

As to the ways Doug thinks our programs can improve the lives of the children we work with, he said, “We … and I mean all of us, need to take a more active role in recruiting foster parents, CASA Advocates and FCRB Members.” Having recently attended Family Drug Court in Ottumwa, Doug would like to see every county receive funding for this, as it holds parents accountable in a positive manner.

Cara Galloway, ICAB Coordinator, and Linda Yates, FCRB Facilitator, are very appreciative of Doug’s service. Linda shared, “Doug Cameron is very committed to helping his community. He was involved in the education system for a very long time, so he knows many of the parents that come before the Board. They are thankful to have someone they recognize and that has advocated for them in the past through their experience with Doug in the education system.” We at ICAB are very grateful for Doug’s life of service and years devoted to children in need.

In June 2019, the Iowa Child Advocacy Board (ICAB) invited FCRB members to complete a Volunteer Satisfaction Survey. There was a 43% response rate statewide. While we appreciate all the feedback and suggestions provided by FCRB members, here are a few highlights from this year’s respondents.

• The majority of respondents are motivated to volunteer for FCRB because they want to make a difference in the lives of children from their communities. One noted, “I want to be the voice of kids that would not normally have a voice.”
• 90% agreed that they have the support and guidance needed to carry out the volunteer role.
• 89% agreed that they feel they are a valued member of the ICAB organization. Several comments included a desire to feel more valued by courts and the child welfare system.
• 82% indicated they are using the semi-digital method for accessing case file information. Comments shared included favorable remarks about going to partial digital, as well as remarks about wishing ICAB would return to hard copy files only for volunteers.
• 93% indicate that they receive training that adequately prepares them for their volunteer role.

Respondents were asked to identify challenges and suggestions for ways to improve their volunteer experience and support from staff. Responses ranged from challenges new board members face to the process changes that have occurred with the FCRB program the past two years. The most commented challenges were:

• Lack of in-person attendance by interested parties, especially DHS case managers and Guardians ad litem.
• Lack of current case information or receiving the information too late to be prepared for reviews.
• Keeping up with training requirements; many noted that training on local services and practices would be beneficial.
• Using a semi-digital system to access case files.

The FCRB Program Committee will be working to prioritize responses from this survey and developing plans to address key items to improve the FCRB process and value within the child welfare system. Thank you to all FCRB members who took time to complete the survey and offer their candid and insightful responses.

For CASA Advocates:  In-Service Trainings

For a complete list of all available CASA in-service trainings please click here:  In-Service Trainings

Reminder CASA Advocates:

Fostering Futures: Supporting Youth Transitions to Adulthood Training is required for Advocates serving on cases of youth 14 or older. You may also attend a training session prior to the youth’s 14^th birthday, as this curriculum addresses the unique need of building rapport and trust with an older child. 

Upcoming Fostering Futures Sessions:
September 6 West Des Moines
October 18 Cedar Rapids
October 26 Storm Lake

Calling All CASA Advocates!!

If you have found yourself looking for a new challenge, have a desire to take on a leadership role within the CASA program, or feel excited about creating a team of fellow Advocates, consider learning more about becoming a CASA Coach!

This fall we will begin offering our newly revised CASA Coach Pre-Service Training and would love you to join us!  Contact your Program Coordinator if you are interested in learning more about what it takes to become a Coach.  To learn about the revised Coach Curriculum or how to register for the training, please reach out to the State Trainer.   Email lesa.christianson@dia.iowa.gov or call 515-986-4790.