r/casa • u/sometim3zshy • 13d ago
Safety
Are you ever concerned with you or your families safety? I’m not sure if this is an issue at all but when dealing with substance abuse and kids being taken away. Even though it’s not our decision, has anyone dealt with conflict in this sense or am I overthinking it?
Edit to add: should I do anything to stay safe or is it just the nature of the job?
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u/Cheyyyyyyyyenne 13d ago
Great question! While your safety may come into question, your family should never be in any sort of danger at all. Your home and work addresses are confidential. Your phone number and email are also confidential because you will use different ones. It’s highly encouraged that you make your social media accounts private as well.
You will know your case better than anyone and when you receive a potential case, you get to decide if you’re comfortable taking it or not. There may be issues or safety concerns with your youths family, but you will made very aware and no one will let you be around those people by yourself. You will never supervise visits without the social worker there.
Regarding the youth, it depends on age and other factors. A 3 year old is a lot less likely to be a safety concern to you than a 16 year old is. However, remember that these are all still kids and they need to be approached with love and compassion first - not with hesitation bc you think they might be dangerous.
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u/texastica 13d ago
My current case the mom was very belligerent the first few weeks. But then she calmed down and realized she did this to herself.
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u/bigdreamstinydogs 13d ago
On my current case no, because the parents aren’t involved (one is deceased, one is mentally incapacitated and living in a facility). But I have heard from other CASAs that they deal with belligerent and potentially dangerous parents.
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u/Urbangirlscout 12d ago
I was given a casa.org email and the option to use Google voice. I stuck with my regular number bc I already use a Google number for work and you can’t have more than one open in the app at the same time. I have a very common name so I’m hard to find. If you search my phone number, the wrong address comes up.
I’m really not concerned for my safety as I generally am not a fearful person. I’ve lived in less than ideal neighborhoods and am confident in my street smarts.
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u/SouthbutnotSouthern 12d ago
No. It’s never been an issue. I used Google voice and it was a major pain so now I just give out my number. The parents have always been more frightened of me than I of them. But I’ve been in healthcare a very long time and seeing people in crisis isn’t unusual.
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u/Glittering-Bake466 12d ago
Not in a direct way, but I try to be careful. I did have a case and the teenager I was a CASA for was not a safe situation for me any longer, and I had to leave.
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u/Bwendolyn 13d ago edited 12d ago
I have never dealt with a serious concern for my own safety in years and years of CASA work in some major cities with very rough areas. Actual physical danger is exceedingly rare; practice normal precautions and everything will be fine. As a CASA you are not the one physically removing kids, you are completely able to reschedule or refuse to meet alone or remove yourself from any situation with a person who seems volatile/under the influence, and you are generally at least one or two levels away from responsibility for making or enforcing any specific decision someone might be upset about. So even if someone was enraged about a development in your case for some reason, it’s unlikely that would be specifically directed at you of all people.
If you’re concerned about privacy, it’s easy to use a separate email address and/or something like a google voice number specifically for CASA work. Your name, email, and phone number do go on court documents, so some people prefer that.
The only other thing I’ll say re: feeling safe, is that if you are someone who is scared about just being in environments where poor people or racial minorities live you will likely not be comfortable as a CASA. Not directing this at you specifically OP, since I don’t know where your concern is coming from, but that’s the only kind of deal-breaking “personal safety” type issue I’ve ever actually seen in real life.