Advocate Spotlight: Juan Villareal
November Advocate Spotlight
1. How long have you been an advocate? When did you realize you wanted to become one?
I was sworn in as an advocate on Jan 24, 2020. When I learned about CASA, I didn’t realize how much impact I would play in a child's life or how engaged I would be working with the legal team. I realized I truly wanted to commit around the second week of training. Shortly after signing onto my first case, I knew I made a great decision to advocate for foster kids after seeing the smiles on the kids when all needs were met by placement, visits held with mother, and observing CPS and CASA's direct impacts. I had no reservations about signing on my next two cases.
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of being an Advocate?
The most rewarding part of advocating is the journey of viewing these families strive for reunification. They each have different stories and struggles but desire the same ending. It has been my pleasure to serve on 3 open TMC cases and witness the teaming approach to meet the children's and parents' needs by all stakeholders involved. Through my diligence, I have been able to find a missing father from out of state and get him in touch with his legal caseworker and attorney. I have been able to advocate for in-home community resources to help build a support network while youth transition back home.
3. If you could offer some words of encouragement to your fellow and incoming Advocates, what would it be?
For new and fellow CASA advocates, I would like to mention I’ve enjoyed interacting with everyone in my cases (children, parents, CPS, Attorneys, Placements, etc.). I wasn’t sure which age range of children I was going to be good with. I am assigned a newborn, toddler, and then teenagers. The baby is adorable and has grown so fast in the last 5 months. The 4 and 5 year olds are fun young boys and very interactive to play with. The teens have been respectful towards me and are making great progress in their placements and education. I was initially worried about being able to connect with any age of children and youth. In my experience, being authentic, open, honest, and patience has led to having a trusting relationship with all my kids despite some COVID-19 barriers. I feel accomplished by interacting with the full age range of amazing children in just under a year of service.
At CASA, our goal is to serve 100% of the children and families in need experiencing foster care and strong community partnerships help make that possible.
In March 2025, Child Protective Services removed four young children, just 7, 4, 2, and 3 months old, from their mother’s care. This difficult step followed ongoing concerns about neglect, largely connected to the mother’s struggle with substance use, even during her most recent pregnancy. Although CPS offered support through Family Based Safety Services, the mother was unable to engage in the help provided. The children’s father was also unable to support them due to his own substance abuse and his incarceration in Bexar County Jail. Before removal, the children’s basic medical and educational needs were going unmet. They had been moved repeatedly between their mother and other relatives, leaving them without the stability, routine, and nurturing supervision every child deserves. When CASA Staff Advocate, JoAnn Herring, was assigned the case in April 2025, she immediately reached out to both kinship caregivers to understand the children’s needs and how to best support the families stepping in to care for them. JoAnn quickly learned that the paternal grandmother, who lovingly took in some of the children, was struggling financially and facing barriers due to limited English proficiency. To ensure she wasn’t facing these challenges alone, JoAnn submitted a CFE (Collaborative Family Engagement) referral and personally provided translation support so the grandmother could access services with dignity and understanding. Throughout the case, JoAnn has witnessed moments where cultural sensitivity was lacking, and personal biases influenced important decisions; often at the expense of what was best for the children. Despite these obstacles, she continues to advocate steadfastly and compassionately for the children to remain with the kinship caregivers who have opened their homes and hearts to provide safety, consistency, and love. Although the case is not yet over, Joann’s story demonstrates that CASA’s advocacy reaches beyond the children themselves, strengthening the village of care and support surrounding them, because CASA wants children to be safe, to thrive, and to have their overall well-being protected.
