Advocate Resources

Thank you for your commitment to CASA and the children you advocate for. This resource hub is here to support you as an active CASA advocate, with tools, continuing education, and guidance to help you navigate your casework with confidence.

HELPFUL LINKS

https://casacollege.myabsorb.com/#/login

https://tx-elpaso.evintosolutions.com/

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES & PRESENTATIONS

A View From The Bench: Improving Communication and Partnerships with the Court, Child Welfare, and the Bar:

Friday, June 26th, 2026 @ 12:00PM - 1:00PM

Communication and partnerships with the court, child welfare professionals and the local Bar association are important for CASA/GAL programs and advocates to effectively provide best interest advocacy for children and youth in child welfare proceedings. In this webinar, members of the Judicial Leadership Council will describe the different roles that the court, CASA/GAL advocates, child welfare professionals, and attorneys have in court proceedings and what is expected by the court. Attendees will learn about different ways to communicate and partner on a system-wide basis to improve their best-interest advocacy for children and youth in child welfare proceedings, and will walk away knowing how to identify barriers to effective communication and partnerships and ways to overcome those barriers on a system-wide and individual case basis. Attendees will receive a certificate for one hour of in-service credit.

Registration Link: https://nationalcasagal.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hDwOp-90QLOaW_IvixQrWA#/registration

NAVIGATING CHILD DEVELOPMENT: Bridging Knowledge and Strengthening Caregiver Confidence

Wednesday, July 8th from 5:30PM-7:30PM

This workshop provides an overview of child development, the effects of trauma, and the impact of prenatal substance exposure on growth and development. Participants will learn practical, trauma-informed strategies to better support caregivers and children involved in their CASA cases.

IN-PERSON at the CASA office:

221 N. Kansas St. Suite 1503

CASA COLLEGE ONLINE LEARNING CENTER

CASA College — Our online learning platform — offers a wide range of self-paced and on-demand trainings covering topics important to your advocacy, such as:

Building Connections with CASA Volunteers and Incarcerated Parents
Building Trust Through Communication
Sexual Abuse Prevention Training
Sharpening Skills Webinar Series

You can log in, enroll in courses, and complete them whenever your schedule allows, earning continuing education hours along the way.

Tip: After completing a course on CASA College, remember to log your continuing education hours through the CE submission form so they count toward your annual requirement.

APPROVED MOVIE LIST

In order to keep current with subjects/topics that relate to the volunteer role, our volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education per year. We make it easy to keep up with your continuing education hours and learn something new! There are great movies to immerse yourself in. Don’t forget to send self-reflection form to mreza@casaofelpaso.org to receive your credit.

Below is a list of approved movies for continuing education hours. A short self-reflection form must be submitted to receive credit for the movie. Each movie provides 2 hours of training. With a maximum of two movies per year, for a total of 4 hours of credit.

Maid (2021)

After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.

Foster Boy (2019)

Michael is a high-powered lawyer and Jamal is an angry young man who has been imprisoned after years of abuse in the foster care system. Together they have to overcome their differences to find justice and expose the foster care system.

Short Term 12 (2013)

Calm and competent, Grace is a young counsellor at a California care unit for at-risk teens. However, her cool facade begins to crack in the pressure cooker atmosphere as she and some of the unruly residents are reminded of past and present abuses.

Four Good Days (2021)

Emerging from a detox clinic, a young addict tries to stay clean while living with her mother for the next four days.

I Am Somebody’s Child (2019)

This movie tells the journey of a young African American girl who navigates over 30 foster homes and psychiatric facilities before age 18, and the one woman, Jeanne, who believes in her. After Jeanne’s unsuccessful attempt to adopt Regina due to a racially motivated ruling, their bond is forced apart. “I Am Somebody’s Child” is Regina’s story of how one woman’s belief and love becomes her lifeline as she defeats the odds of a corrupt system and succeeds. After 25 years, Jeanne is finally able to adopt Regina in the same courthouse that denied them previously.

From Place to Place (2011)

From Place to Place is a feature documentary that spends two years in the lives of six young adults who recently aged out of foster care. At age 18 they were forced to leave foster care without the skills or support they needed.

The State of Texas vs. Melissa (2020)

Her name is Melissa Lucio. For over ten years, she has been awaiting her fate on death row and is now on her last appeal. Melissa was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. To many, Melissa looks like she is responsible for her daughter’s death. Guilty of abusing Mariah, her two-year-old child, day after day, until she died from a blunt head trauma. But strangely, she was never known to be violent towards her children. In addition, nobody had ever seen her being abusive to Mariah. All documented in dozens of CPS records.

Ben is Back (2018)

Holly is swept into a race against time after her 19-year old son returns home for Christmas and suddenly disappears

The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (2020)

A boy’s brutal murder and the public trials of his guardians and social workers prompt questions about the system’s protection of vulnerable children

Instant Family (2018)

When a couple decides to start a family, they are inspired to pursue adoption through the foster care system. They feel like wonderful, altruistic people until they suddenly have three wild kids in their home. Now they must learn to love and parent children who have no interest in being parented in this heartwarming comedy.

CONTINUING EDUCATION FORM

All active advocates are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education (CE) each fiscal year to remain in good standing.

Fiscal Year: September – August

Newly trained volunteers must have 1 CE hour for each month they have been active.

What Counts as Continuing Education

Continuing education activities must support your role as a CASA advocate and may include:

CASA of El Paso trainings (virtual or in-person)
Webinars and recorded trainings
Conferences or community presentations
Podcasts, books, or documentaries
Approved movies
Other learning opportunities related to child welfare, trauma, advocacy, or the court system

All activities must be documented and submitted for credit.

How to Track and Submit CE Hours

Advocates are responsible for tracking and submitting their continuing education hours.

Each submission must include:

Title of the training or activity
Date completed
Total time spent
Summary of what was learned

Hours are submitted through your advocate supervisor or through the “Continuing Education Submission Form” on the CASA of El Paso Volunteer Resources page.

Advocate Resources

Advocate Resources

HELPFUL LINKS

https://casacollege.myabsorb.com/#/login

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES & PRESENTATIONS

A View From The Bench: Improving Communication and Partnerships with the Court, Child Welfare, and the Bar:

NAVIGATING CHILD DEVELOPMENT: Bridging Knowledge and Strengthening Caregiver Confidence

CASA COLLEGE ONLINE LEARNING CENTER

APPROVED MOVIE LIST

CONTINUING EDUCATION FORM

CASA OF EL PASO

ADVOCATE CONTINUING EDUCATION

SUBMISSION FORM

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