Sarah Christofferson, Program Director,

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1 CASA Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements Thank you so much for your selection of CASA of Travis County as your volunteer work organization. We are grateful for your commitment to the children of Travis County. The entire staff is dedicated to providing you with the best preparation to do this work as possible. The following pages contain important information about the training requirements to become a volunteer advocate. Please read them carefully and begin working on them as soon as you are able. If you need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me. You may also ask your instructor during class, just please be aware of the limited amount of time available in the classroom and be patient if your questions are addressed outside of class time. Once again, thank you, and welcome to the next key chapter of your life! Dean Smith, Director of Volunteers Phone: dean.smith@casatravis.org CASA Staff Laura Wolf, Executive Director, laura.wolf@casatravis.org Sarah Christofferson, Program Director, sarah.christofferson@casatravis.org Sonia Kotecha, Director of Community & Strategic Initiatives, sonia.kotecha@casatravis.org Lydia Garcia, Director of Training, lydia.garcia@casatravis.org Wendy Morse, Training Specialist, wendy.morse@casatravis.org Shannon Moreno, Training Coordinator, shannon.moreno@casatravis.org Bree Taylor, Volunteer Relations Specialist, bree.taylor@casatravis.org Child Advocacy Specialists, firstname.lastname@casatravis.org Classroom Requirements There are 12 Training Sessions total at 3 hours each. CASA 101 must be taken first and Policies & Procedures must be taken last. The remaining 10 classes can be taken in any order. You do not need to RSVP for any class after taking CASA 101. Simply show up and be sure to sign in by initialing the box next to your name. Late Arrival Policy: Training classes are very important and the trainers have a lot of information that needs to be explained. If you know or will know that you will be later than 15 minutes to class, please be courteous to the trainers and attend a different training session. Within a 15 minute time frame there is plenty of need to know information, and it will be hard for the trainers to catch you up during a 10 minute break period. CASA of Travis County Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements (Revised 6/23/2015) Page 1

2 Classroom Requirements Continued Participate in a mid training check in. A staff member will contact you once you have reached 6 classes. Submit a Case Limitations Form once you have completed 10 of the 12 classroom sessions. The information on this form will be used to assist the Training Team in presenting you with a case that most closely matches your abilities and limitations. You can pick up a form from the training room bulletin board. It is our expectation that you would be available to accept a case within 2 months from the date of successfully completing training and background check requirements. At the end of training you will be invited to give us feedback on the entire training. You will receive an e mail with a link to a survey. The process is completely anonymous. You can view the training manual and resource materials at: From the day you begin your CASA Training with CASA 101 you will be given 4 months to complete all training classes, court observation and background checks. Failure to complete training by the 4 month deadline will result in you having to start training again. It is our expectation that once you accept a case, you complete 12 hours of Continuing Education each calendar year while you are an active volunteer. We offer a variety of ways to complete these required additional hours that you will read about on the last page. Court Observation The 3 required hours can be accumulated in any number of trips of any length. For example: 1 3 hour trip, hour trips, or 3 1 hour trips. After each visit, send Bree Taylor (bree.taylor@casatravis.org) an with the date, the duration of each visit and the name of the judge you observed for your training records. You may absolutely observe for more than 3 hours. Please dress professionally for court. No sneakers, shorts, tank tops, t shirts, denim jeans, snacks or gum. Cell phones must be turned off when you enter the courtrooms. There is to be no talking while the judge is on the bench and when the judge steps out, it should not get loud. Questions can be answered during those breaks or when you return to class. Observe both judges if you like, although it is not required. You will not know the judge you will most frequently be in front of until after you accept a case, so you can take the time now to observe one or all of the judges. CASA of Travis County Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements (Revised 6/23/2015) Page 2

3 Court Observation Continued Judges & Days Mondays (Judge Darlene Byrne) & Fridays (Judge Aurora Martinez Jones) Occasionally, another judge will be substituting on the bench if Judge Byrne or Judge Martinez Jones is away. Just be sure you are observing CPS cases instead of juvenile detention or divorce proceedings. If Monday is a government holiday, the docket will take place on Tuesday of that week. Time: Court begins at 8:30 am. Please try to arrive early to allow ample time to locate parking and find the courtroom. The Judge often takes a break for lunch, and the docket usually resumes at 1:00pm. Location: Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe St, 4 th Floor, 126 th District Courtroom Seating: You may sit in the jury box (on your left when facing judge) but only enter/exit the jury box in between hearings. You will be able to tell as people seated at the tables in front of the judge's bench will leave. Wednesdays (Judge Aurora Martinez Jones) Occasionally, another judge will be substituting on the bench if Judge Martinez Jones is away. Just be sure you are observing CPS cases instead of juvenile detention or divorce proceedings. Time: Court begins at 9:00 am. Judge Martinez Jones has a morning docket only. Please try to arrive early to allow ample time to locate parking and find the courtroom. Location: Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe St, 5 th Floor, Rm 511 for Judge Martinez Jones Seating: There is no jury box in this courtroom, so you can sit with the general public. Parking: Centralized parking meters are located throughout the downtown area and take coins, MasterCard and Visa. Most are 3 hours; however, there are a few 5 hour meters 2 blocks behind the courthouse near Nueces and 8 th and along 10 th by the courthouse. There is a parking lot located at 9 th and San Antonio. Directions from Mopac: Exit Enfield Rd. Go east. Take a right on Guadalupe. The Courthouse is 4 blocks down on the right. Directions from IH 35: Exit 15th St. Go west. Take a left on Guadalupe. The Courthouse is 4 blocks down on the right. CASA of Travis County Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements (Revised 6/23/2015) Page 3

4 Background Clearance Your signed application included authorization for CASA to perform an initial national clearance check. You will need to schedule a time to submit fingerprints for a national criminal background check (see FBC Finger Print Background Check Directions Guide on the training room bulletin board). Your signed DFPS Background Check authorizes CASA to request a state criminal and central registry report from Texas Department of Family Protective Services. There is nothing further you need to do. If you did not sign one of these forms during your pre training interview, please contact Bree Taylor at bree.taylor@casatravis.org. Should any questions arise from any of these background clearances, you will be contacted by Bree Taylor. It can take over 2 weeks for us to secure the results of your background checks. All information provided to CASA for these purposes is kept confidential and discussed with the fewest possible staff members. If you have any questions about the status of your background clearance, please contact Bree Taylor at bree.taylor@casatravis.org. Reference Checks CASA requires 5 personal references: 3 non family and 2 related to you or from the same household. We also ask for professional references and references for any prior work with children if applicable. CASA will send your contacts an with a description of the program and a reference form for them to complete and return. CASA will also conduct some reference checks over the phone. If you have any questions about the status of your references, please contact Bree Taylor at bree.taylor@casatravis.org. Driver License & Proof of Auto Insurance Up to date copies of your driver license and auto insurance are required to be kept on file with CASA at all times during which you are an active volunteer. If no one has made a copy of these 2 documents, please ask that they do so at the next class that you attend. Please remember to send in a copy of each of these documents to bree.taylor@casatravis.org every time they are renewed. CASA of Travis County Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements (Revised 6/23/2015) Page 4

5 Volunteer s & Webpage Once you ve completed training and started a case you will be given access to the passwordprotected Volunteer Area of our website and you will be added to the list for your CASA Volunteer Updates (sent from casa@casatravis.org). These resources will let you know about upcoming events, Continuing Education trainings and opportunities to complete your required 12 hours, activities and resources for kids, and other special announcements for volunteers. The webpage also features forms for you to submit your Continuing Education hours and any updates to your contact information. Swearing In Ceremony All CASA volunteers must be sworn in by a Travis County judge. You may be assigned a case before you are sworn in, as long as all other training requirements, background checks and references have been completed. Attendance at a Swearing In Ceremony is a requirement under Texas and National CASA standards. You are eligible to attend a Swearing In Ceremony once all of your training requirements are completed. Swearing In Ceremonies are held 5 times a year. The dates for 2015 are: January 13 March 10 May 19 July 21 September 22 November 10 The ceremonies are held at Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center, 2515 S Congress Ave, Austin at 6:30 pm. You are welcome (and encouraged) to bring your family members and friends to attend this exciting celebration of the important work you will be doing for the children of Travis County. You will receive an invitation to the Swearing In Ceremony once you are eligible. Please be sure to RSVP and indicate the number of guests you will bring. If you have any questions, please contact Alejandra Peña at alejandra.pena@casatravis.org. CASA of Travis County Volunteer Advocate Training Requirements (Revised 6/23/2015) Page 5