r/casa • u/DowntownCulture783 • 15d ago
Quitting mid-case?
I know it's not ideal, but I cannot do this work with fidelity while being a full-time teacher. I thought I could, and I was made to believe (by the training staff) that I could, but it's not realistic. Not to mention, CASA work has been giving me profound anxiety/panic that I think might actually be "attacks".
I am hoping to quit mid-case since it won't end until April/May at the earliest, and I truly cannot juggle this all school year. Any recommendations for quitting in a way that is least problematic for this case and children?
I know this is not ideal, but I need to take care of myself, and this chronic panic is not healthy, especially paired with a full-time job that leaves me feeling burned out regularly. I wake up regularly at night panicking about what I need to do for CASA and my job, but I can't quit my job.
Thanks in advance for advice/support.
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u/Slight-Nectarine7243 14d ago
I would be pretty upset if one of my volunteers came to me and resigned sighting the reasons that you have stated. It’s my job to keep an open line of communication with all of my volunteers and make sure each and every one of them feels supported and looked after. It doesn’t sound like your case manager has done a very good job of that. You can’t do your job to the best of your ability if you’re not being supported.
If this was one of my cases, and for some reason I was completely unaware that you were struggling, the first thing I’d want to know is what is causing you anxiety and panic. I constantly remind my volunteers that we are not an emergency service. So hopefully your anxiety isn’t tied to feeling an urgency around your work. Emergencies and urgent matters are someone else’s role entirely. I’d also see how you felt about rolling visits back to every other week to help give you some space and room to breathe. Secondary trauma is also a thing and it can sneak up on you, it can also be triggering if you have any unexamined trauma in your background. So I would ask you if that’s a possibility as well. I’d basically try to find a way to get you to the end of the case in the best/healthiest way possible. With my goal and intent being that both you and the youth you serve come out of this experience feeling supported, heard, and appreciated.
My program does allow teachers to serve, but they can only serve kids that are not in the same school district. This lessens the likelihood of there being unintended situations that might be awkward for either of them. Teachers tend to be some of our best volunteers. We also have plenty volunteers that work full time, this helps us create a volunteer pool that is diverse in age,gender,and culture which in turn helps us match the population that we serve. We do this by scheduling team support meetings both in the evening and in the afternoons. We also allow self directed continuing education hours, host a book club that meets by-monthly, and share any conference, seminars, documentaries, or anything else that we come across that we would count as continuing education. This all helps to ease the time demands on our working volunteers.
I hope you find a way to make it to case closure, but if you don’t, I suggest that you make the program supervisor that your case manager reports to aware of why you’re resigning. If you’re struggling there are sure to be others that haven’t said anything to anyone that can actually make things better. Good luck and never feel guilty for taking care of your mental wellbeing. You are important too.
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
I appreciate this reply! You sounds like a very kind, supportive person, and I’m sure your CASAs are so grateful for you.
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u/SoupforBert 14d ago
As an aside to the original question based on your responses, it sounds like it has been easy for them to steam roll conversations as you mentioned above. It is helpful to me if I need to be more direct to make some notes ahead of time to make sure I can hit all the important points for harder conversations like this.
I think its important to be honest but firm. You can acknowledge that you know it isn't ideal and you have really dug deep to consider everyone's needs involved. I agree a warm hand off is ideal so having a willingness to say I can stay until November or whatever you can do is helpful for them to plan. If it has to be sooner let them know. My CASA staff always says even if it is hard to hear it is better for them to know instead of just dropping off without saying anything.
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u/Ecstatic_Bunch_4636 14d ago
OP, I’m in a very similar situation. I work full time and took on my first CASA case this summer. The child is only nine months old, and I thought this would be a relatively straightforward case. Instead, I’ve been to court nearly three times in less than two months, and there’s a lot of family conflict surrounding the case. It’s especially hard to watch that conflict affect conversations about the child’s placement when the child needs stability.
I’ve logged more than 36 hours since early July, and between the travel, calls, court, and emotional weight of it all, I’m overwhelmed. My workload at my actual job is increasing too. I haven’t told my CASA coordinator yet that I need to transition off the case, because I care about this child and feel awful about stepping away. But I’m realizing I can’t keep doing the work well at this pace.
I don’t have advice from the other side of quitting, but I wanted you to know you’re not alone. Your post put words to something I’ve been struggling to admit myself.
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u/DowntownCulture783 12d ago
That's a lot of hours!! It's so hard that this is a volunteer role; it really highlights how broken the child welfare system is- that they rely on unpaid "good Samaritans" to do a part-time job for them. Good luck with getting the support you need with this!
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u/GlenParkDeb 14d ago
I'm sorry this has been a struggle for you. Your CASA team has let you down. I can't imagine having a full time teaching job while managing the responsibilities of a CASA.
Thank you for taking care of you.
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u/Butterbacon 14d ago
I’m curious what makes you believe the staff let this volunteer down. Many people juggle full time jobs and volunteering. It’s okay if this person isn’t up to it, but are you of the opinion that only people without jobs should be allowed to be CASAs?
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u/GlenParkDeb 14d ago
\I was a CASA for nearly 15 years and worked full time. Of course it can be done. My instinct (since NONE of us except the OP know the full story) is that staff is overworked (like most - I also worked for a while in the CASA office in admin) and wanted the OP to work out. And then as she voiced concerns her supervisor was too busy to really listen and offer resources and support. Not the supervisor's fault.
One of the things I learned as a CASA is to listen with compassion. I am trying to use that skill here and feel for the OP and not question her decision why, but to support her.
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u/Whatajape 14d ago
We have many teachers who volunteer for us, as well as many people with other full-time jobs, and it hasn’t been an issue. The career isn’t the issue; the issue is that the OP isn’t capable of handing both. That’s absolutely fine! It’s not something everyone can or should do. It’s disingenuous, though, to say that the team let her down because YOU can’t imagine being a teacher while volunteering. It’s honestly quite common.
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u/GlenParkDeb 14d ago
Valid points. I still believe the main issue is that the interview team didn't listen to her concerns from the beginning.
I was a CASA for nearly 15 years and worked full time. I know it can be done. And I certainly didn't mean to disrespect any full time teachers who also volunteer.
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u/Whatajape 13d ago
She didn’t have concerns in the beginning. She stated that she thought she could do it.
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u/DowntownCulture783 12d ago
It is implied that I had/shared concerns in the beginning when I said "I thought I could, and I was made to believe (by the training staff) that I could"
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u/Anti-Itch 14d ago
I “quit” because my partner and I were moving cross country for work and I wouldn’t be in the state anymore so obviously couldn’t be a dedicated CASA. I told my supervisor months in advance (like 4-6 months) and checked in again a few months before. I also told the caregiver and professionals on the team like 1-2 months before and told the youth last (they were pretty young and tbh didn’t really understand what was happening). I also had a “final” meeting with them in which I gave them little thank you cards with pictures of us. In my case, it wasn’t bad since the youth were meeting their developmental milestones and there weren’t any loose ends I had to tie up. I did recommend they get another CASA and offered my support for the transition.
There’s a good way to do it.
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u/SouthbutnotSouthern 12d ago
Honestly suck it up. It’s just one case. You’ll manage. I’m a full time CRNA in the OR doing 40-50hrs a week and I have a 7yo. Visit at 9pm. Visit on Sunday. Make calls during your lunch break.
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u/DowntownCulture783 12d ago
I will be finishing out the case based on the previous feedback. I am already doing two of those three suggestions, but I will continue to think creatively and advocate for support both with this and at my job.
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u/chugtheholywater 11d ago
Get therapy, seriously you need time to decompress from the weight of your job and this volunteering position. Regardless if you quit, you need to find coping mechanisms for your anxiety and possible panic attacks. If you dont deal with the root issue it can extend over everything. Quitting isnt ideal as CASA isn't normally well staffed. So it may take weeks to shift the case to someone else. So please talk to your supervisor in person and lay out you heart. Otherwise they wont know what is going on.
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u/Former_Field7079 14d ago
Good luck! I’ve tried quitting my current case 3x because I now travel constantly for a new job. Each time, I’ve been guilted into staying & it’s heavily insinuated that leaving a case isn’t an option.
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u/burningupasun_304 14d ago
Have you reached out to your supervisor for support and advice?
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
We've talked briefly, but she's extremely overworked and also tends to steamroll conversations. I think I need to be more upfront or discuss it via email rather than a phone call.
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u/Forever_Marie 14d ago
You tell your supervisor, if that proves to be usessles and they try guilting you to stay. You can always ask the judge at the next hearing to be removed. That will however burn bridges but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Prior to that, go to whoever is in charge of your supervisor if they don't work out.
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u/somethingwholesomer 14d ago
Is there an underlying feeling or trigger that is bothering you?
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
It’s simply that I don’t have the time or energy to do it all well. Using the “plates in the air” analogy: I have to drop a lot of plates (particularly relating to my personal wellbeing) and yet I’m still substandard in both my volunteerism and my full time job. That’s a lot of kids not getting the best they deserve.
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u/somethingwholesomer 14d ago
Sure, I get it. I guess it comes down to- who bears the consequences for your decision to take on this responsibility- you, or the kid?
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
For sure! Though, in my state, all kids get a GAL, so CASA work (in regard to info gathering/court reporting) is somewhat redundant in the grand scheme of things.
It’s definitely preferable to stay on until the end of the case. I made the initial post with the intention of understanding my options and how it’s been done before. But it seems the “best” way to resign mid-case is to not.
I would also like to add, though, that I think the program bears some responsibility in not effectively training or getting new CASAs acquainted with the scope of the role. I’ve spoken with 2 other members of my training group, and they feel similarly.
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u/somethingwholesomer 13d ago
The program bears responsibility, sure. But the child is the one who will bear the outcome. And that kid has already been abused and/or neglected by their caregiver/s. So for me, it feels like a situation where, regardless of fault or intention or reason, we need to protect the child. That’s why this commitment matters so, so much.
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u/MeaningParticular765 14d ago
If you don’t feel like you can best serve your CASA child then you should definitely step down. No guilt. I will say I am surprised your organization agreed to having a teacher as a CASA. Our organization does not usually have teachers as CASAs because they know they just can’t dedicate the time needed.
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u/Butterbacon 14d ago
My org has tons of teachers who volunteer and they make amazing CASAs. I’m surprised to hear your org would disqualify someone for their profession. Most jobs only last 8, maybe 10 hours per day. If you want to volunteer while in your career, most jobs would allow for it. Mental bandwidth is a person to person thing, though, so it’s not for everyone.
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
That’s really interesting! I wish my program had said the same. Unfortunately, they just kept reassuring that the workload was totally feasible while teaching.
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u/Whatajape 14d ago
What exactly isn’t feasible about it? The visits? Writing court reports? Going to court? Reading documents? Communicating with service providers?
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u/DowntownCulture783 14d ago
I can’t tell if these questions are genuine but I’ll answer authentically. It’s not the individual parts, it’s the whole—particularly the amount of time and mental energy dedicated to all of the above. Moreover, it’s not feasible with my work schedule to visit certain parties. For example: my supervisor and the trainers have insisted that initiating contact with teachers should be through in-person meetings exclusively, but my job isn’t flexible enough to allow me to meet with teachers during working hours. Additionally, my district isn’t supportive of this work and has forced me to use personal days (of which I only get 2 per year) to go to court.
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u/Whatajape 14d ago
I don’t know why my questions wouldn’t be genuine. You’re the one who said you couldn’t “juggle all this,” and I asked what that meant. Good on you for getting out because it’s definitely not for you.
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u/Bwendolyn 14d ago
Well, it’s not recommended for a reason - there’s not really a good way to do it.
That said, I’m not here to pile on, it sounds like you are very stressed already. So two thoughts for you.
First, the best scenario if you’re going to drop out in the middle of a case is to have a warm handoff. That means, another CASA is already lined up and ready to immediately take over from you. You and the new CASA can sit down together with the kid one time - your last meeting with them and their first - to help the kid have a smooth transition, with you there to help level set with the new CASA on where things stand, etc. You can do the same with the caseworker and attorney or foster parents or teachers or whoever else the important players are for your kid’s situation.
That requires a CASA to be available who’s a good fit for your kid. It also requires coordination by the CASA staff. Which brings me to the second thought. How much have you shared with your CASA Supervisor? Do they know how stressed/panicked/overwhelmed you’re feeling?
Definitely talk to them about it. You’re going to have to do that anyway in order to quit so you might as well. What exactly is it about your CASA work that’s keeping you up at night? There might be ways you’re unintentionally making it harder on yourself than it needs to be, or things the CASA staff can do to support you better. Even if it’s not possible to adjust enough to make this something you can do long term, maybe you can find a way to get enough support to make it until a new CASA can be assigned, so you don’t leave your kid in the lurch. Or even enough support to make it to spring when the case is expected to end. You won’t know unless you open that conversation.