Child Advocates of Silicon Valley Swears in Over 50 New CASA Volunteers Virtually

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2021  

CONTACT: Gustavo Caraveo |  Gustavo@childadvocatessv.org  

MILPITAS, CA — Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is thrilled to serve more foster youth and children with the graduation of over 50 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Volunteers via Zoom on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. 

“With every class we graduate, more foster children are taken off our waiting list and are paired with an adult who will be there to advocate for them at every turn,” stated Frederick J. Ferrer, CEO of Child Advocates. “This class seems especially eager to get started with their advocacy and we can’t wait to get them assigned. We are thankful that our community continues to show up for foster children,”

CASA Volunteers were sworn-in through a “virtual” swearing-in ceremony by the Honorable Judge Shawna Schwarz after completing 30 hours of pre-service training that consists of self-paced online courses and virtual presentations that ranged in various topics from child development, the Dependency Court System to inclusionary practices. 

After hosting pre-service training virtually for over a year, Child Advocates is dedicated to making pre-service training appealing and accessible to potential recruits as the world begins to open back up.

“We continue to make adjustments with every class to enhance our candidates’ experience,” said Daisy Manapsal, Director of Learning at Child Advocates. “This summer, our pre-service training will be offered in the evening after work hours beginning July 27.”

As an affiliate of the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association, Child Advocates is responsible for operating the CASA program in Santa Clara County according to the national guidelines, which entails recruiting, training and supporting CASA Volunteers. Child Advocates holds four to six training classes per year in an effort to recruit a CASA for every child placed in the Santa Clara County Dependency Court System. There are currently over 1,000 foster children in the system.  

About Child Advocates of Silicon Valley 
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is an independent nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization created in 1986. We serve children aged birth to 21 years old who are placed in the Santa Clara County Dependency Court System for having experienced trauma in the form of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. We are also an affiliate of the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association. As an affiliate, we are responsible for operating the CASA program in Santa Clara County according to the national guidelines, which entails recruiting, training and supporting CASA Volunteers. To learn more, please visit ChildAdvocatesSV.org. 

About the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program  
The first CASA program in the nation was created in 1977 to ensure children in foster care, who have experienced abuse or neglect, have a trained volunteer speaking up in the courtroom for their best interests. All CASA Volunteers are trained community members who are appointed with a court order by a judge to advocate for the best interests of a child in foster care. They stay with each case for up to a year or until the case is closed and the child is in a safe, permanent home. CASA Volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators, service providers and family members to ensure the child’s voice is heard. Their advocacy enables judges to make the most well-informed decision for each child. 

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