Navigating new decisions, responsibilities, and independence can be overwhelming. And for youth and their families involved in the child welfare system, this can become far more difficult once their case closes and access to crucial resources ends. Even years after their case closes, they may find themselves in need of guidance on how to navigate a new situation in their life.
Recognizing this support gap and wanting to help reduce the risk of these individuals re-entering the system, CASA launched the Promising Futures program. To learn more, we spoke with Director of Family Engagement, Gladys Munoz.
I’ve even had young adults or families call our office line saying, “I remember CASA being on my case. I remember you guys being helpful. I'm currently in this situation and need some help.”
Q: What is the Promising Futures program?
A: Promising Futures is our newest specialty program, designed to provide direct, ongoing support to young adults and families after they have exited the child welfare system.
Through our Promising Futures Resource Specialist, we provide in-person guidance tailored to their individual needs and goals. This may include identifying needs, such as housing, employment, and education; linking them with community resources; helping secure funds and supplies for further education; or pursuing family connections through our Family Engagement team.
Q: What are the requirements for a family to be part of Promising Futures?
A: The requirements for the program are pretty simple:
- Young adult, up to 25 years old, who had CASA of Travis County serve as Guardian Ad Litem (GAL)
- Families must have been served by CASA of Travis County within the last 7 years
- Cannot have an open CPS legal case
Q: What inspired CASA to implement this program?
A: It's really based on a need that we recognized has always been there: just because a case closes doesn’t mean the needs go away or stay away.
I've been at CASA for about 8 years now, and I've seen so many families who had a lot of support while their case was open — caseworkers, attorneys, CASA, etc. — disappear once the case closed.
I’ve even had young adults or families call our office line saying, “I remember CASA being on my case. I remember you guys being helpful. I'm currently in this situation and need some help.”
Q: How do you see Promising Futures working in conjunction with the other CASA programs?
A: There's definitely a big connection between our Resource Specialist and our Promising Futures Specialist, as they both work in tandem to identify community resources and support.
Other ways I see Promising Futures working in conjunction with our advocacy as a whole include our advocates connecting the Promising Futures Resource Specialist with families they identify as potentially needing assistance — either immediately after their case closes or in the future — and, most importantly, building relationships with the families we serve so they recognize CASA as a trusted resource they can reach out to if they need it.
Our goal is that, over time, they need less assistance from us and feel confident doing these things on their own.
Q: How long can a youth or family be involved in the Promising Futures program?
A: Currently, there is no time limit.
We want to help the family or young adult meet their immediate needs while also teaching them how to begin navigating those needs on their own. This could mean showing the participant how to find a job application online, sitting down with them to fill it out, or, if someone is interested in going back to school, showing them how to research and find guidance for that.
Our goal is that, over time, they need less assistance from us and feel confident doing these things on their own.
I’m also encouraged to share that none of the families or young adults we have served so far have re-entered care.
Q: How are people finding out about the program and reaching out about it?
A: Word of mouth, for sure. We’re making sure that our staff and volunteers know about the program.
I have also been meeting with many community partners, such as CPS, Lifeworks, and PAL, who see overlap among the individuals we all serve. But most of our referrals have come from previous volunteers — a young adult or a family has reached out to their previous CASA volunteer asking for support, and then they've reached out to us.
Q: How do you think the youth and families will be affected by this program? What results have you seen so far?
A: We've seen young adults go back to school, parents trying to advance their careers or education, and individuals apply for a specific certification to try to better their situation so they can offer support to their kids, to name a few.
Being able to provide these supports, such as helping them advance their careers or education, helps provide greater stability in the long run.
I’m also encouraged to share that none of the families or young adults we have served so far have re-entered care.
Q: How do you think Promising Futures will affect the larger community?
A: Our hope and goal are to provide enough support to families so they can build a strong foundation and support system for themselves. We want to do everything we can to help prevent anyone from returning to the child welfare system.
I just want people to know that this program now exists and that they don’t have to navigate life after case closure without support. We want the work to get out there so that people who need it can reach out and get started with us!
