“It takes all of us, a village of everyday people, to stand up and commit to making a meaningful difference in the lives of abused and neglected children. It starts very simply with one volunteer at a time.”

Judge Glenda A. Hatchett

Training Curriculum

National CASA requires that CASA volunteers receive at least 30 hours of pre-service training.

Voices collaborates with CASA of St. Louis County to deliver training to prospecitve CASA advocates. We use the National CASA Volunteer Training Curriculum as the core curriculum for our pre-service training.

The national curriculum is customized to address the unique model that Voices uses of matching a CASA advocate with the child’s guardian ad litem (a Voices child advocacy attorney). It is also customized to fit the specific regulations and operations of the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri (City of St. Louis).

Our 30-hour training prepares prospective CASA advocates by focusing on developing knowledge, skills and understanding in all areas that are critical to successful advocacy, including:

  • the child protection/child welfare system
  • the role and responsibilities of the CASA advocate
  • child abuse and neglect
  • the legal system and court procedures
  • understanding children and families
  • cultural awareness
  • practicing the role – gathering information, monitoring and reporting

Learn more…National CASA Training Outline

Courtroom Observation

Courtroom observations are scheduled to reinforce classroom learning. Prospective advocates observe real cases and process in training what they have observed before taking a case.

Prospective advocates gain exposure to the myriad issues confronting the judge in court proceedings while seeing first hand the roles of the different parties to a case, including the role they will play once they are assigned their own case.

Court proceedings can seem intimidating. By observing a number of hearings, prospective CASA advocates becomes comfortable with the unfamiliar setting.