Fostering advocacy
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley swore in 24 new Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) at the nonprofit’s main office in Milpitas on Sept. 17. CASA volunteers advocate for foster youth who are navigating the court system.
The volunteers completed 30 hours of training and took a mandatory tour of the Santa Clara County Dependency Court. They were sworn in by supervising judge Shawna Schwarz.
To address the needs of the foster children on the waitlist for a CASA volunteer, Child Advocates seeks to diversify its pool of advocates by recruiting more male, bilingual, Spanish-speaking and LGBTQ+ volunteers. The 24 new volunteers include seven bilingual Spanish-speakers, six advocates who identify as male and three who identify as LGBTQ+.
“With this class being one of our most diverse, we’re thrilled to connect our foster youth with CASA volunteers who will advocate and understand them,” said Child Advocates CEO Frederick J. Ferrer. “This training included a lived-experience panel, which allowed our CASA candidates to hear firsthand perspectives from a current CASA, social worker and former foster youth. We also provided our class with practice scenarios and cases to better equip them to manage the cases they’ll soon be matched with.”
CASA volunteers are not required to have a particular background or experience. Each CASA is supported by Child Advocates staff once matched with a foster youth or sibling set. For more information, visit ChildAdvocatesSV.org.
Traffic signal delays
A new traffic signal at East Calaveras Boulevard and Carnegie Drive, originally planned for installation by August, has been postponed until March 2025 at the earliest due to unforeseen delays in the manufacturing of the traffic signal poles. In the interim, a four-way stop has been installed at the busy intersection until the permanent traffic signal is operational.
The traffic signal is being installed as part of a partnership between the City of Milpitas and Milpitas Unified School District to enhance accessibility around local schools.
