Each Court Appointed Special Advocate is required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of in-service activities per year. At least one of those trainings must be related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging (DEIAB). Below you will find a selection of opportunities for our volunteers to earn their hours more frequent and more flexible.
In addition to in-service trainings hosted by our program, the Maryland CASA Association and National CASA Association offer various excellent trainings to which our volunteers have access.
When you have completed an in-service training, fill out the Continuing Education Credit Form below or email your Case Supervisor with proof of completion.
UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
June 4 | 2 pm | Zoom
Family First: The Power of Reuinification and Kinship Care
Presented by Youth Voices Rising
Dive into the significance of family connections for foster youth, focusing on reunification, kinship care, and family finding.
Compassion Fatigue and the Cost of Caring for Mental Health Professionals
Presented by Roper Victim Assistance Academy of Maryland
June 12 | 9 am | Zoom
This presentation will focus on assisting social service and other treatment professionals to better understand the sources and symptoms of burnout and vicarious trauma on employee and organizational health. The first half of the program will focus on compassion fatigue education. This will include discussions of compassion fatigue basics, a look at the sources and long-term implications of organizational trauma, how to assess organization health and management strategies for maximizing organizational wellness. The second half of the training will provide an opportunity for attendees to work together to create strategies for addressing compassion fatigue in their specific work setting. It is hoped that each participant will leave with a plan for combating compassion fatigue and improving staff satisfaction and organizational health.
June 25 | 11:30 am | Zoom
The Science of ACEs: Unpacking Childhood Adversities
Presented by MD CASA
Examine the profound impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on development and lifelong health. Grounded in scientific research and led by a certified instructor, this program equips participants with knowledge and strategies to address ACEs effectively.
Course Topics include understanding ACEs and toxic stress, the effects of ACEs on the body and brain, and learning about protective factors and building resilience.
June 5 | 12 pm | Zoom
FASD-Informed Care: Striving for Equity
Presented by Florida Center Training Institute
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, and other mental healthcare professionals involved in the care of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Learn about a new app-based study to do FASD-informed care.
June 23 | 1 pm | Zoom
Supporting Cultural Connections
Presented by Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency
Examine how the foster care experience can inadvertently sever vital links, learn a framework for how you can actively champion a youth’s cultural life.
SELF-DIRECTED IN-SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
SUPPORTING PERMANENCY FOR LGBTQ YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
1.5 Hours
READ A BOOK
3.5 Hours
Volunteers who read a book from this list (or another approved book related to foster care and child welfare) and write a report about it will receive 3.5 in-service credit hours*. These books relate to foster care and other life circumstances experienced by many young people in foster care.
- I Beat the Odds: From Homeless to the Blind Side and Beyond by Michael Oher
- Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
- Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher
- The Lost Boy; A Child Called It OR The Privilege of Youth by Dave Pelzer
- The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
- Push by Sapphire
*In order to receive credit, volunteers should fill out the Continued Education Credit Form. To clear other materials for reading not on this list, please call or email your case supervisor.