Special Initiatives
CASA of San Mateo enhances its core services through two initiatives:
Embracing Our Community
The Embracing Our Community Project provides more effective and culturally sensitive services to foster children by increasing the number of African American and Latino volunteers.
Through outreach and volunteer recruitment in faith-based and secular African American and Latino churches and organizations, CASA of San Mateo is working to have the ethnic backgrounds of our volunteers better reflect the backgrounds of the children served.
Begun in fall 2007, the project is a response to the alarmingly disproportionate representation of African American and Latino children in the foster care system.
In addition to targeted outreach and recruitment, the project’s goals include increasing the cultural competency of CASA of San Mateo staff and strengthening CASA of San Mateo’s connection to the communities from which our children come.
CASA of San Mateo is training Special Advocate volunteers fully in Spanish through a partnership with churches in Menlo Park and San Mateo.
Sam (who is in long term foster care) was in danger of failing eighth grade. This was especially concerning as Sam had been retained in a much earlier grade too.
Sam’s Advocate, Lynn poured through his school file and noticed that as a very young child, Sam had been diagnosed with a learning disability. Lynn worked diligently with the social worker, foster family and teachers to have Sam tested again.
With the proper evaluation, Sam qualified for the help he needed at school. With much persuasion, he also began taking the recommended medication during the school year.
Today Sam is a sophomore in high school and taking honors classes while maintaining a 3.3 GPA.
Academic Success
The Academic Success Project is improving higher education and vocational outcomes for foster children in San Mateo County through individual student and systems-wide advocacy.
Special Advocates provide individual educational advocacy on behalf of their children to ensure appropriate educational placement, programs, and resources, thereby permitting children to achieve their academic potential.
CASA of San Mateo has led county-wide efforts to help children overcome barriers to success. The cornerstone of those efforts is a partnership of education and child welfare leaders.
This partnership has already yielded substantive results:
- outreach and dialogue with stakeholders (targeted school districts, foster parents, group homes, and child welfare professionals)
- development of a model of collaboration in a local school district to orient and support individual students
- initiatives to create community accountability and take action on behalf of foster students.
- a preliminary analysis of foster youth performance in San Mateo County available at http://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/docs/YDA_Foster_Yth_IssueBrief_091130.pdf