Continuing Education

In-Service Training Opportunities

To maintain eligibility to work on a case as a CASA Volunteer, you must complete a minimum of 12 in-service hours of ongoing training per calendar year.

Below you will find a list of past training videos, as well as book and docu-series recommendations that you may utilize for Continued Education/In-Service credit.

Please remember to enter your training hours into Optima.

Law and Mental Health

UNM Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Description:

Consultation with criminal justice stakeholders in New Mexico--as well as with New Mexico's Behavioral Health Services Division--have consistently revealed concerns regarding the quality of forensic mental health evaluations in both criminal and civil cases. This maps onto nationwide concerns regarding the same issue, particularly as regards public sector forensic mental health evaluations.

Training Dates: Self-paced

Webinar materials:

188 videos on various topics regarding Law & Mental Health.

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A View from the Bench: Parents Struggling with Mental Health Issues

National CASA/GAL Association

Description:

Parents struggling with mental health issues are significantly more likely to become involved with the child welfare system, often facing a higher risk of having their children removed from their home due to concerns about their ability to adequately care for them. In addition to providing support to these children and youth, CASA/GAL volunteers can provide information to the court about the potential impact of a parent’s mental illness on parenting capabilities, and resources that are necessary to support parents, including support from relatives and fictive kin.

Webinar materials:

Recording

Online Introduction to ICWA Course

National Indian Child Welfare Association

Training Description:

Introduction to ICWA, an online course covering the Indian Child Welfare Act, is one of the most accessible ways to train child welfare staff working with Native youth and families in ICWA.

In less than five hours, individuals can become certified in the basics of ICWA and be prepared to advocate for this important law, which protects Native children and preserves culture. The course can be completed on a timeline customizable to the learner and to the group.

This course will take you through the opening steps from the moment you realize you are working with a youth who may be Native. Being proficient in ICWA will ensure you can follow what a coalition of 18 national child advocacy organizations has labeled the gold standard in child welfare practice.

Training Dates: Self-Paced

Use code NMkidsICWA

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Inclusive, Trauma-Informed Practices with Immigrants

The Center of Immigration and Child Welfare

Training Description:

This is a 5-module online asynchronous, self-paced course that explores how service organizations and practitioners can implement policies and practices to increase inclusivity of immigrant families, and how trauma-informed practice can be tailored to address the unique experiences of immigrant families. It also includes discussion of a model for implementing immigrant specialist navigators within organizations. This course is intended for leaders, frontline practitioners, and other professionals in organizations that serve immigrant families across a variety of community settings. It is available in English and in Spanish.

Training Dates: Self-paced

The Modules:

Module 1: Migration & Trauma
Module 2: Historical & Political Contexts
Module 3: Trauma-Informed Practices & Interventions with Immigrants
Module 4: Immigrant-Inclusive Organizational Policies & Practices
Module 5: Secondary Trauma Among Practitioners Working with Immigrant Populations