The volunteer advocate receives 32 hours of classroom instruction from judges, social workers, attorneys, therapists, physicians and other professionals in our community. The class room instruction includes training in the following:

• Confidentiality
• Advocacy Skills
• Dynamics of Abuse and Neglect
• Developmental Needs of Children
• Cultural Diversity
• Topics in Substance Abuse
• Medical Indicators of Abuse and Neglect
• Documentation & Report Writing
• Community Resources
• Role of a CASA Volunteer
• Role of the Attorney
• Role of the Social Worker
• Foster Care & Permanency Planning
• Abuse & Neglect Statutes
• Domestic Violence
• Information Gathering
• Court Procedures

Courtroom observation is also a training component. When training is complete, the volunteer advocate is inducted by the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judge. Thereafter, twelve hours of in-service training must be completed annually.

Volunteer advocates are supervised and supported by the Piedmont CASA staff. Staff assists the volunteers in planning investigations, gathering information, writing court reports and navigating the child welfare and legal system. The training program is designed to prepare the CASA to be the best advocate possible.

Training is intensive; however, volunteer advocates do make a real difference in the lives of children they serve.

"My task is to talk to every person in these children's lives - lives that have already been compromised and scarred - and piece together a recommendation that will help them to heal, to find stability, even to grow."

Volunteer Phoebe Frosch