Child Advocates Urgently Needed in West Central IL

By Jeremy Coumbes on December 2, 2022 at 8:21pm

West Central Illinois is in desperate need of Court Appointed Child Advocates.

The Advocacy Network for Children has announced an upcoming virtual training for individuals interested in becoming a CASA volunteer. Advocacy Network for Children provides CASA services in Adams, Hancock, Pike, Brown, Schuyler, Cass, and Morgan Counties in west central Illinois.

A multi-county training will be held via Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. beginning January 3rd through January 26th. Swearing-in of new volunteers and presentation of certificates will be held at each respective county courthouse on dates not yet scheduled.

Officials say CASA volunteers are desperately needed in all seven counties served by the agency. The training course prepares volunteers to be the best advocates for children in the court system due to no fault of their own with a four-week, 30-hour curriculum which covers topics such as The Well-Being of the Child; Trauma, Resilience and Communication Skills; Mental Health; Poverty and Professional Communication; and Substance Abuse and Cultural Competence to name a few. No special background is required to become a CASA volunteer.

For more information and to receive the Zoom link, please contact Danielle Buss, CASA Manager, at 217-223-2272 or email at dbuss@advonet.org .