Explore Online Classes
Ongoing training is key to being the best volunteer you can be.
Explore a wide variety of training topics below or use this page as a resource when you need to refresh your memory or need guidance for a specific situation. You can access courses anytime, anywhere, at your own pace, and receive credits toward your annual 12 hours of continuing education requirement. This page will be updated as new training courses become available.
“My goal for the training section of the Volunteer Portal is to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to excel in your role as a dedicated CASA volunteer. Here, you will find a variety of YouTube videos, articles, and valuable resources curated to empower you in your mission to support and speak up for vulnerable children. If you encounter a problem with a link, please let me know. And, as you complete training sessions, please email me at program@casacan.org, and I’ll record your training hours.” MEGAN SPINLER, Training & Recruitment Coordinator
Child Development Focus
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Recognize and respond to the effects of trauma, gain practical strategies to build trust, foster resilience, and create a safe interaction with your CASA children. Delivered by experienced professionals in the field of child advocacy and trauma-informed care, these resources delve into the complexities of trauma, its diverse manifestations, and evidence-based approaches to provide compassionate and effective support.
• An 8 hour TBRI®: The Healing Families Video Series (Trust-Based Relational Intervention)
• Trauma & ACES by Dr. Rob Anda
• The Attachment Theory: How Childhood Affects Life
• Secondary Trauma and Traumatic Stress Webinar
• What is Generational Trauma? | Overcoming Traumatic Experiences
• Historical Trauma: Context and Effects
• Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council
• InBrief: The Science of Neglect
• The psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder - Joelle Rabow Maletis
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As we confront the alarming prevalence of child sexual abuse, it becomes imperative to equip CASA volunteers with comprehensive resources to navigate the complexities of these cases.
• Working with a Child who has Experienced Sexual Abuse
• Parenting A Child Who Has Been Sexually Abused: A Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents
• Caring for kids: What parents need to know about sexual abuse
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Education is a cornerstone of a child's development, and CASAs play a crucial role in ensuring that children within the child welfare system have access to quality education. This collection of resources is dedicated to empowering CASA volunteers with the tools and knowledge necessary for effective educational advocacy.
• Advocacy in Action| Well-Being | Every Student Succeeds Act
• Foster Care and Education | How Will the Every Student Succeeds Act Support Students in Foster Care
• CASA Plays a Critical Role in Education Advocacy for Children in Foster Care
• The Reason Foster Children are Failing in School | John DeGarmo
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Real-life experiences of children and teenagers navigating the foster care system provide firsthand perspectives that deepen your understanding of the challenges, triumphs, and emotions faced by youths in foster care. Gain a more profound empathy and understanding of the diverse backgrounds and journeys of the children you serve.
• Childhood Trauma: The Lives of the Neglected Children
• Remembering Trauma, Part 2: Expert Commentary
• Full Episode: “Children of the System” (Ep. 405) | Our America with Lisa Ling | OWN (youtube.com)
• Growing Up Trans (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• Youth voices: Life after foster care - Full length version
• Taken into foster care, through the eyes of a child
• 'Re-homing': America's shocking trade in unwanted children | 60 Minutes Australia (youtube.com)
• Fostering Failure: Children's Emotional Journey Under the California Foster Care System
• Fostering Failure: Teenager Describes Experience in California Foster Care System
• Foster Care's Invisible Youth (Full Episode)
• 40% of Homeless Youth Are LGBTQ – What We Can Do | Melissa Moore | TEDxCharleston
• Removed Part 1
• Removed Part 2
• Removed Part 3
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The intricacies of trauma's long-term effects, and the complex interplay between trauma and a child's physical and mental health.
• "The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity" | Nadine Burke Harris, MD
• How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris
• Biology of Loss: Recognizing Impaired Attachments & Fostering Resilience | Perinatal Services BC -
• Effects of Emotional Abuse/Neglect on Childhood Development
• Children in Foster Care Much More Likely to be Prescribed Psychotropic Medications Compared with Non-Foster Children in Medicaid Program | American Academy of Pediatrics
• The Crisis of Overmedicating Foster Children | By Leya Groysman
• What are a Psychotropic Medications? | Healthline.com
• Program Evaluation: Misdiagnosis and Mistreatment of ADHD-like Symptoms Among Youth in Foster Care | American Academy of Pediatrics
Foster Family Focus
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Reunification is a pivotal aspect of the CASA role, highlighting the importance of facilitating the safe and supportive reunification of children with their families after periods of separation. As advocates for the well-being of children involved in the child welfare system, CASA volunteers are instrumental in navigating the complexities of reunification processes.
• Partnering With Birth Parents to Promote Reunification | Child Welfare League
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Reunification Stories by Former Foster Youth | American Bar Association
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The transition from foster care to independence marks a critical and often challenging phase for many young individuals. These tools will help CASAs effectively advocate for these young adults, assisting them in accessing crucial resources, developing life skills, and establishing support networks as they transition into independent living, and thrive beyond the foster care system.
• Understanding Transition Age Youth (TAY) - Combined Version
• The Day I Age Out: Part Three
• Voice of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (1 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (2 of 8)
• Voice of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (3 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (4 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (5 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (6 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (7 of 8)
• Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care (8 of 8)
• Hana's Story | Aging Out Of Foster Care | Legacy Housing
CASA Volunteer Focus
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CASA on the Go a new continuing education podcast for CASA volunteers and staff. Through short, dynamic episodes, this podcast connects CASA advocates with subject matter experts discussing topical issues connected to child welfare.
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In our commitment to cultural sensitivity and understanding, these resources are designed to deepen your understanding of Native American and Indigenous cultures, histories, and traditions, fostering a respectful and inclusive approach to advocating for children from these communities.
• Dr Phil Show 2022 July 01 Missing and Murdered in Montana
• Native American Boarding Schools
• Native American Boarding Schools: A Lost History | KARE 11
• Survivors Of Native American Boarding Schools Discuss Dark History In The US
• American Indian Boarding Schools: A Small US Town Digs for the Truth | Foreign Correspondent
• Predator on the Reservation (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• Waking the Generations (From Fort Belknap)
• Indigenous student’s disappearance part of epidemic of missing native women [FULL REPORT] Nightline
• Crow Indian Reservation House Tour | Three Families in 2-Bedroom House | Crow Agency, Montana
• Still Here: A Crow Nation Story
• Wolf Point: Red Road Stories
• Looking Forward from Yesertday
• Blackfeet Stories: History, Culture, Ceremony, and Language
• Montana Native American Culture and Traditions
• How the US stole thousands of Native American children | Vox
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CASAs play a pivotal role in advocating for the rights and well-being of children exposed to domestic violence, recognizing the intricate dynamics that intertwine family struggles and child safety.
• Intimate Partner Violence |Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Living in Hell: Private Violence |Domestic Abuse Documentary
• Montana Domestic Violence Statistics 2021
• Montana Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commissions
• Healthy Relationships in Adolescence | OASH
• Youth in Foster Care as Victims and Perpetrators of Teen Dating Violence | Colleen Chalmers, Tonika Duren Green, and Ashley Kruger
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Gain a comprehensive understanding of addiction, substance abuse, and their impact on children and families. Led by experts in addiction studies, psychology, and social work, these resources explore the complexities of addiction, its root causes, and the far-reaching consequences it has on individuals and communities.
• Montana Meth Documentary Full
• Hidden Epidemic: US fentanyl crisis worsens | Nightline
• The Meth Epidemic (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier than Heroin
• Fentanyl (Full Episode) | Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller
• Drug Addiction: How Opioids Like Fentanyl Work
• Webinar: The Effects of Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure
• Addiction: A Disease of Our Survival System | Malcolm Horn | TEDxBillings
• How an Addicted Brain Works | Yale Medicine
• Addiction and The Brain - For Kids
• 20 Books to Explain Addiction to Children
• Why Addiction is Everyone’s Disease | TEDx Andrews
• Addiction Is a Disease We Should Treat it Like One | TEDx MidAtlantic
• How to Tell if Someone is High | Addiction Group
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Intricacies and nuances within the legal and child welfare frameworks of different states.
• Rethinking Foster Care by Dr. Jerry Milner
• Socioeconomic Issues by Dr. Mical Raz
• Homelessness in California- 3 part series
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Better understand the complex circumstances and hardships faced by families striving to overcome adversity and grappling with the intersecting challenges of poverty, homelessness, and involvement with the foster care system.
• Poor Kids (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• Full Episode: “Children of the System” (Ep. 405) | Our America with Lisa Ling | OWN (youtube.com)
• Two American Families (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• SHELTER (Full Length)
• Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption | Child Welfare Information Gateway
• Brothers and Sisters: Keeping Siblings in Foster Care Connected | EPIC ‘Ohana Inc
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A window into the lives of adults who have navigated the daunting challenges of incarceration, survived sex trafficking, or faced homelessness. Gain insights into the profound struggles, resilience, and paths to recovery of individuals affected by these critical issues.
• Compassion Prison Project | Honor Yard
• Sex Trafficking in America (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• Prison State (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
• ON THE STREETS - documentary on homelessness in L.A.
PCAN-Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
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Tools and Strategies for Building Strong Engagement - Valerie Frost
Youth Court 101 & The Juvenile Delinquency Intervention Act: How it looks in your community
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Mental Health, Suicide, and Happiness - John Sommers
Why we Should Be in Pursuit of Eudaimonia - (Not Happiness) - John Sommers
Suicide in Montana - Facts Figures and Formulas for Prevention - Karl Rosston