OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Symbolic Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:

1. Describe the symbolic frame

2. Apply the symbolic frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

The situation my PCA refers to is from my time as a volunteer as a Court Appointed

Special Advocate (CASA). The situation I am analyzing is not so much a specific event
as it is having a difficult time overall getting some parties in my appointed child’s life to
communicate with me for various reasons (distrust with the “system”, busy schedules,
unawareness for what we do, etc.). In this role I am required to establish and maintain
communication with interested parties in order to get the “whole-picture” for the judge,
which I draft into a written recommendation that gets submitted at the child’s court
hearing.

The non-profit organization CASA was created to train volunteers to provide best-interest
advocacy for children who have experienced abuse or neglect, primarily children who are
in the foster care system. It is important to note that a CASA is different from (and an
addition to) other parties in the child’s life, like social workers and attorneys. That being
said, a CASA’s recommendation to the judge for the best interest of the child may go
against the wishes of the child, the family, and others in their life.

2) Describe how the symbols of the organization influenced the situation.

What I’ve learned through researching the symbolic frame is that CASA is bound by the
symbols we use. From our slogan “A powerful voice in a child’s life,” to our mission
statement, “mobilizes community volunteers to advocate for children who have
experienced abuse and neglect,” the organization communicates that we exist solely to
take care of our appointed children. Our core values are deep love, justice, authenticity &

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 integrity, accountability, and respect. To me, that conveys that we are deeply committed
to prioritizing the best interest and wellbeing of that child.

Unfortunately, this symbolism doesn’t always translate the same to every person. I’ve
spoken to social workers who absolutely appreciate having a CASA appointed to one of
their children, and others who act like I’m wasting their time. There are birth parents who
feel threatened by our role, and others who appreciate their children are getting the extra
attention they need and deserve.

3) Recommend how you would use organizational symbols for an alternative course of
action regarding your case.

Keeping in mind what I have learned about the symbolic frame, I believe the best course
of action would be to reach out to all parties and convey that my focus is primarily on the
child. This will clearly establish my role and alleviate their assumption that I’m trying to
levy more work on to their already heavy workload (for the social worker, child attorney,
foster parent, etc.) By setting the stage regarding my involvement in the child’s life, I
could convey that criticism and auditing of individual contributions are not part of my
role (in regards to the birth parents). By putting involved parties at ease, key players will
feel more encouraged to share critical information in the child’s situation which will
allow me to advocate more effectively.

I will put this organizational symbol in to action by being a listener first and actor second.
Through setting this example of a CASA for key players I may begin to help change the
tide in key player expectations and attitudes toward working with my organization.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

Out of all the frames we’ve discussed so far in this course, the symbolic frame was the
most fitting for my situation due to my volunteer role for a non-profit. It just isn’t
structured like a normal business, and doesn’t involve typical human resources. I can say
that with everything I’ve learned about this frame, I can now see how important the role
of symbolism is for the CASA organization. What CASA’s are, their very purpose,
symbolizes that each child we advocate for are being taken care of.

That being said, I would change the way I communicate to certain key players in the
child’s life so that they don’t feel overwhelmed or criticized by what my position entails.
I would convey impartiality and make sure everyone knows my main goal is taking care
of the wellbeing of the child. To do this I would develop a 60-90 second introduction that
explains exactly who I am and what I am not, why I’m requesting information from them,
what I’m able to advocate for, and how key players can help me in achieving that goal.

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 References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

CASA. (2021). Mission. Retrieved June 20, 2021 from https://casala.org/our-mission/