Date

12-2018

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Health, Human Services and Public Policy

Abstract

CASA of Santa Cruz County is a non-profit 501(c) 3 agency that trains and supports court appointed special advocates for foster children from newborn to 18 years of age. Advocates are volunteers who are required to go through thirty-five hours of core service training, and CASA offers four core trainings throughout the year. Volunteers are required to commit to seeing the child for two to four hours a week, for up to two years. However, every case varies in length, and at times a case may require additional hours per week and may go on longer than two years. There are two hundred and seventy-two foster youth enrolled in CASA of Santa Cruz County, and foster children are not receiving the advocacy they need. As a result, recruiting and training new advocates within the department of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) was implemented. Advocates receive standardized training from a trainee using Google slides. The purpose of the training is to educate and inform incoming advocates of what role they will be play in a foster child's life. CASA advocates determine the needs of the child, facilitate social services and community resources, advocate for the child’s needs to be met promptly and thoroughly, and support system. Additionally, training would benefit everyone within the agency.

These slides can be updated with any additional information that needed. The slides can be evaluated for effectiveness by collecting and analyzing data for service learning outcomes. CASA of Santa Cruz County should continue implementing the slides for training incoming advocates as it is an important tool for the agency, but most importantly for those in the foster care system whom they serve.

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