Opportunities for Continued Education
After completing a year of service as a CASA volunteer at CASA of Jefferson & Gilpin Counties, you are required to complete 12 hours of In-Service Training or “Continued Education”. These hours are achieved by attending webinars, guest speaking events, and reading books on the topics of childhood trauma and the child-welfare system. Quarterly Continued Education events are hosted by CASA Jeffco/Gilpin. See below for more ideas and event details!
Volunteers are responsible for keeping track of their own Continued Education hours via Optima under the “training” tab.
Upcoming sessions:
· October 14th, 16th, 21st, and 23rd (11am-12:30pm)
· November 4th, 6th, 11th, and 13th (11am-12:30pm)
· December 2nd, 4th, 9th, and 11th (11am-12:30pm)
· January 13th, 15th, 20th, and 22nd (11am-12:30pm)
With the support of State VALE funds CASA of Larimer will be offering the TBRI®️ Caregiver Package to Staff and Volunteers of local CASA programs across Colorado. TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. The intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research. It is primarily delivered as the TBRI®️ Caregiver Package which is 24 hours of training in four parts (Overview, Connecting, Empowering, Correcting). CASA of Larimer County will be offering each part regularly over the next year.
The 6-hour TBRI®️ Overview is required before taking the following principles. It provides the basis of attachment and research on which TBRI®️ builds. The overview is six hours divided into four sessions over two weeks. Sessions will be Mondays and Wednesdays 11:30am-1pm. Participants must attend the full six hours consecutively. Training is free of charge and completion of two post training surveys are required.
Prerecorded Webinars:
Webinar Link Here
Password: Juvenile1
Description: Unnecessary removal of children from their families results in separation trauma and impacts families of color disproportionately. Families deserve for decisions with such weighty implications to be based on safety, and removal should only occur when children cannot remain in the home safely. Cara Nord from the Office of the Child’s Representative and Melanie Jordan from the Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel will provide you with tools to help judges and attorneys make decisions and arguments that are centered on the safety of children and families. Participants will come away with multiple resources to help them ask questions and provide solutions that allow families to remain safely together.
Description: Learn more about ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) in the Jefferson County court system. Hear from lead caseworkers about how ICWA impacts cases, advocacy, and cultural considerations. We discuss the difference between reasonable and “active” efforts required to serve families with an ICWA case.
Description: A training for CASA volunteers and staff to learn how to better support the diverse sex and gender expressions of youth and families we serve.
Additional Materials: The Trevor Project Research Brief: LGBTQ+ Youth with a History of Foster Care
Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guide for Foster Parents
Description: The National CASA/GAL Association for Children hosted a webinar on ICWA and the role CASA/GAL staff and volunteer advocates can have in advocating for Indian children. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is ” … to protect the best interest of Indian Children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum Federal standards for the removal of Indian children and placement of such children in homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture … “(25 U.S. C. 1902). ICWA provides guidance to States regarding the handling of child abuse and neglect and adoption cases involving Native children and sets minimum standards for the handling of these cases.