How to Advocate for Kids in Foster Care: We Talk About Voices for Children

Abused kids becoming lost in America's foster care system is a horror story that our country deals with today. Their real needs, pain and experience gets lost in the govermental bureaucracy and under-staffed, under-funded social services agencies. The role of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) was first conceived in 1977 by Judge David Soukup in Seattle, who wanted to find a way for the court to obtain better information about the needs of children in foster care. A CASA stays with the child even if they are moved to other homes. They are a constant on which the child can rely. CASA volunteers advocate for a foster child or sibling group in court, school, and in the community to ensure their needs are met.

Today we talk to Matt Morscheck, who has volunteered as a CASA with San Diego based Voices for Children since 2019. Matt is a professional counselor, coach, and trainer who specializes in career counseling, developing leaders and managers, and talent development consulting. He is is Vice President, Executive Education and Development at LPL Financial, where he also is the sponsor of their corporate PRIDE organization. He is an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion and volunteers with The San Diego LGBT Community Center.

Founded in 1980, Voices for Children (VFC) transforms the lives of abused, neglected, and abandoned children in foster care in San Diego by providing them with trained, volunteer CASAs. VFC believes that every child deserves a safe and permanent home, and strives to provide a CASA volunteer to every child in the foster care system who needs one. Last year, VFC CASAs and staff served more than 3,600 foster children across San Diego and Riverside Counties.

With co-host Brody Levesque