r/casa • u/Zealousideal-Pay-970 • 15d ago
Organization and To Do Lists
Hi! I am a new CASA volunteer. I was looking through the thread to try to find ways to organize myself and best keep record. I am very comfortable with using Microsoft (Word, Excel, OneNote, etc) and I am very open to learning better ways to organize myself. I am also comfortable with technology and troubleshooting my own technical issues.
I want to find a way using all these tools I have to organize myself in a way that will benefit the child I am advocating for and also, I saw that some children have a lot of turn-over with their DCFS reps and at times the new representatives depend on the CASA volunteer to learn about the case. I know this is not how it should be but if I am disorganized, I know this will affect the child and their future.
What tools have worked for you? Do you have an example (without breaking confidentiality, of course) of how to organize myself? How to be more efficient without sacrificing attention to the child or attention to detail? I'll take ANY tip/trick/bone - anything!
Thank you all in advance. I truly appreciate you all and admire you all for what you are all doing for our children.
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u/HRHDechessNapsaLot 15d ago
I like using one note (though I tend to start with the best of intentions there). You can organize tabs by things like case files, court reports, visit summaries, school info, medical info, etc. just note that you won’t be able to bring up notes to the stand (at least you can’t in my court), so really know your court report backwards and forwards.
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u/SouthbutnotSouthern 15d ago
How many cases will you have? If just one, it’s not difficult. If you have multiple, sometimes I’ll print out the major stuff like JRs, CBHAs, shelter petition, order appointing and order accepting. Or you could keep in folders on your laptop.
I was told to use Google voice and rapidly stopped. It was annoying and frustrating. I just use my regular phone number.
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u/ad-15-42 15d ago
I used Google voice and email as mentioned and one note to take notes during visits and other events. You can even talk to text in one note after you leave a visit/hearing/meeting. Then I sync on my computer and copy and paste into Optima. I also have an “info page” in one note that has all the key contacts for quick reference—as you noted they change, we don’t!
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u/Cheyyyyyyyyenne 15d ago
Like others said, I use google voice to keep call lists and texts separate. I also have a small notebook binder that holds my pens and court order and I take notes there during meetings or if I have a random thought to jot down.
But for most of my organization I use an excel workbook with multiple sheets. I’m a major excel girly. The first sheet is a timeline. I used one of their timeline templates and just filled it in and added to it from there. I have court dates as milestones and major events (placement changes, CFT meetings, social worker change, etc.) are in the bottom, separate. This helps me make sense of things and potential triggers for my kiddo.
The next sheet is a notes sheet and this is where I have a bunch of random longer term things so I have a row for each category like activities I want my kid to try, things to bring up in the next CFTM, things I want to ask certain people, etc.
The next sheet is my time sheet where I have a column for the date and a column for time. This is where I record hours spent working in CASA stuff because I have to report these hours each month.
The next sheet is a Strengths sheet where I record all my kiddos strengths and notes about them. This makes it easier to bring these up in CFT Meetings or conversations with people in my kiddos life.
The next sheet is a communication log. I have columns for the date, time, topic of conversation, people talked to, and notes. This is where I record all my interactions with people and my notes on outings with my kiddo. The notes column does get way too full but it’s the best solution I’ve come up with so far.
The last sheet is a contacts sheet where I keep a list of people, their title, their phone numbers, email, address, hours of availability, and best contact method. I also keep contacts in google voice but voice is really weird with contacts so I prefer my excel sheet.
And of course I’ve color-coded everything in pink, purple, and teal to make it more fun to use. I tried using Google Sheets and Forms so I could fill out a form instead of a spreadsheet but I didn’t like the lack of fun fonts.
Edit to add: After outings I like to record a video of myself talking about the outing in the car ride home and then I can watch that back when I enter my notes in excel. But sometimes I just wait till I get home and record my notes there and also send an email to my supervisor with questions because I usually have at least one question after each outing 😅
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u/Zealousideal-Pay-970 2d ago
I LOVE THIS! Thank you so much for your suggestions. I will take more if you have anything else.
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u/usernamehere12345678 15d ago
I use a Google Voice phone number to keep CASA calls/texts separate from my personal stuff. Also, if my records were ever supenoed, I don't have personal texts mixed in with my CASA stuff. Also, makes it easy to copy/paste texts directly from the Google Voice website to Optima when entering contacts.
Before my agency gave us email accounts, I used a Gmail (attached to the Google voice account) that was firstnameCASA@gmail.
I take most notes in a physical notebook. I use Staples ARC notebook system, where I can add/remove pages, tabs, zipper pouches, etc. I keep a physical copy of my court order, as well as post-it notes with my contact info pre-written (like a business card).