This study aimed to better understand the role that Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) play in the lives of transition-age youth (TAY) by asking participants about the nature of their relationships with their CASAs, and the extent to which their CASAs helped prepare them for independent living. This study involved qualitative analysis of interviews conducted as part of a larger mixed-methods study with TAY in New York City. The sample included 15 young adults ages 18 to 22 who had a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) prior to or at the time of the interview/s. Youth were asked about the social support they were receiving, who was providing the most meaningful support, and how support was provided. They were also specifically asked about CASA service provision. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was conducted to identify and describe emergent themes in the data on the services provided by their CASAs. Researchers generated initial codes, identified and defined key themes from the data, and extracted exemplary quotes. Participants discussed the value of the tailored approach that CASAs used when supporting them during their transition to adulthood. Three overarching themes emerged that characterized the roles played by CASAs in the lives of participants: (1) personalized provision of services and goods; (2) fierce advocacy; and (3) encouragement and empowerment. Study results show that CASAs play a unique role in the lives of TAY and an integral role on the child welfare team. Findings point to the need for a more collaborative approach to supporting young people as they transition into adulthood. The results have important implications for micro and macro-level practice with TAY and policies associated with the assignment and training of CASAs.

这项研究旨在通过询问参与者与他们的CASA关系的性质以及他们在多大程度上帮助了CASA，从而更好地了解了法院指定的特殊辩护人（CASA）在过渡年龄青年（TAY）的生活中所扮演的角色。为他们独立生活做准备。这项研究包括对采访的定性分析，这是与纽约市TAY进行的一项更大混合方法研究的一部分。样本包括15名18至22岁的年轻人，他们在采访前或采访时都有法院指定的特别辩护人（CASA）。向青年询问了他们正在获得的社会支持，谁提供了最有意义的支持以及如何提供支持。还向他们特别询问了CASA服务的提供。采访被录音和转录。进行了主题分析（Braun＆Clarke，2006年），以识别和描述其CASA提供的服务数据中的新兴主题。研究人员生成了初始代码，从数据中识别并定义了关键主题，并提取了示例性报价。与会者讨论了CASA在过渡到成年期间为其提供支持时采用的量身定制方法的价值。出现了三个总体主题，这些主题表征了CASA在参与者生活中的作用：（1）个性化提供服务和商品；（二）激烈宣传；（3）鼓励和赋权。研究结果表明，CASA在TAY的生活中扮演着独特的角色，在儿童福利团队中扮演着不可或缺的角色。研究结果表明，需要一种更具协作性的方法来支持年轻人过渡到成年后的生活。这些结果对于使用TAY进行微观和宏观实践以及与CASA的分配和培训相关的政策具有重要意义。