CASA for Children of Greater Victoria Society Report

Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee

CASA for Children of Greater Victoria Society, Fall 2013

In the late summer, Casa for Children along with many other not for profits was invited to apply for a student placement from the (CSL) Community Service Learning course at UVIC, interdisciplinary studies. The course objective was to support student academic, professional, and personal development while supporting local non-profit organizations. The course required the study of non-profit organizations and civic engagement, 40 hours of non paid placement and a critical reflection from social sciences and career development perspectives on the placement experience.

Casa applied for a student who was interested in performing a court watch function by attending presentation hearings governed by the Child, Family and Community Services Act, the object being to observe and record how visible the child was, the subject of these proceedings. The student was provided a series of questions by his supervisor, the Board chair of CASA to keep in mind as he observed the process, four times per week over three months, with his supervisor present for debriefings. As CASA for Children is a subcommittee of the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee, the student also had the opportunity over three months to attend the monthly meetings, learn something about civic engagement and have the benefit of hearing from guest speakers working with vulnerable children and adults, many of whom were involved with the courts.

The student was expected to compile a report for CASA for Children and well as doing a presentation to his class at UVIC. Though the student's supervisor exposed him to much of what happens in and out of the court room setting, the report compiled was left unedited by the supervisor deliberately. Not surprisingly, the student's observations supported the need for greater advocacy on behalf of the children, the subject of these proceedings. The student presented his observations to the VFCYJC at their November 13th meeting.

Submitted by Georgia Peters, Chair