Child Advocates of Silicon Valley Swears in Over 25 New CASA Volunteers Virtually

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2022  

CONTACT: Gustavo Caraveo |  Gustavo@childadvocatessv.org  

MILPITAS, CA — Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is proud to celebrate the graduation of over 25 Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteers via Zoom on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. 

“As the community is enjoying rebuilding normalcy post-pandemic, we are very grateful for the individuals in our community that recognize the need to support foster youth and are committed to doing so,” stated Frederick J. Ferrer, CEO of Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. “We are excited to have more youth served with this new class.” 

Before being sworn in, all CASA Volunteers must complete pre-service training that includes a combination of self-paced online courses and virtual presentations ranging in various topics including inclusionary practices, child development and the Dependency Court System. Upon completion, CASA Volunteers are then sworn in through a “virtual” swearing-in ceremony by the Honorable Judge Shawna Schwarz. 

CASA Volunteers are not required to have a  special background or experience to serve as Advocates. Each Advocate undergoes a thorough training process and is supported by Child Advocates staff once matched to a youth or sibling set. No matter the age of the youth, a CASA Volunteer mentors, advocates and ensures the child’s voice is heard while in foster care.

Although more foster youth will soon be off the waitlist with the new graduates, there is still a need for more CASA Volunteers, more specifically bilingual Spanish-speaking and LGBTQ+ community members. Nevertheless, Child Advocates is dedicated to making pre-service training accessible and convenient to potential recruits.

“We continue to make adjustments to enhance our candidates’ experience with every class,” said Jasmine Scott, Learning Manager at Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. “Summer pre-service training will be held on Tuesday evenings beginning July 26. However, recruits will have early access in June to the self-paced online courses to get ahead of training.”

Child Advocates is responsible for operating the CASA Program in Santa Clara County according to the National CASA Association guidelines, which entails recruiting, training and supporting CASA Volunteers. Child Advocates holds four to six training classes per year to recruit a CASA for every child placed in the Santa Clara County Dependency Court 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 responsible for operating the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program in Santa Clara County, which entails recruiting, training and supporting CASA Volunteers according to the National CASA Association standards. To learn more, please visit ChildAdvocatesSV.org.  

About the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program  

The first Court Appointed Special Advocate (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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