STAR – Supervisor Training, Assistance, and Resources
STAR (Supervisor Training, Assistance, and Resources) provides resources to help Supervisors train CASA volunteers on how to best advocate for a child in the foster care system. Helping the CASA volunteer understand their role and the roles of other people in the CASA child’s support network will allow them to be better equipped to help with their unique needs.
All STAR Resources for Local Program Staff
Featured Content
CASA on the Go: the Continuing Education Podcast for CASA Volunteers
This continuing education podcast connects CASA volunteers with engaging and relevant training designed to help strengthen…
Guardian Ad Litem Role and Holley Factors
This course is the September 2022 VCA training on the Guardian Ad Litem role and Holley…
Understanding the Roles in a CPS Case
Texas CASA partnered with the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission to develop five handouts and…
Ombudsman for Children and Youth in Foster Care
Children and youth in foster care have a right to ask questions or file a complaint…
Normalcy Matters: A Guide to Supporting Children & Youth in Texas Foster Care
Texas CASA released the Normalcy Matters: A Guide to Supporting Children & Youth in Texas Foster…
Permission to Release Health Information (Template) + TMRPA Training
The Texas Medical Records Privacy Act (TMRPA) protects patients’ personal health information (PHI) by guaranteeing that…
Supervision and Coaching Resources
GROW Sample Questions
The GROW Model of Coaching is an approach recommended for volunteer advocacy coaches when working with…
Who Does What? CASA Advocate / CASA Coach
When you are in the trenches with your advocates it can be easy to slip into…
Tips & Tricks for Maintaining Cohesion in Your Multi-County Program
Having a CASA program spread over multiple counties brings its own challenges and gifts. Read ten…
Powerful Coaching Questions
One of the foundations of successful coaching is asking your CASA Advocate powerful questions to guide…
Coaching Principles Poster
This attractive poster can be printed and hung in CASA staff offices to remind them of…
Coaching Prep Sheet
All great coaches have a plan of action to help their team succeed! Consider using the…
Coaching Principles
A coach has more questions than answers and guides the coachee through a thinking process that…
Volunteer Evaluation
Volunteer evaluation is central to improving advocacy, providing quality coaching and achieving volunteer retention. Download sample…
5 Ways to Delight Future Volunteers
One method of engaging potential new volunteers is to use “welcome gifts.” Simply surprise volunteer applicants…
Training
Best Practices for Testifying in Court
This course discusses best practices when testifying in court, and legal rights and responsibilities for individuals…
Youth Court Reports
Youth in foster care have a right to express to the court their views on everything…
Legal Rights & Responsibilities: Addressing Barriers to Permanency
Legal Rights & Responsibilities: Addressing Barriers to PermanencyBuilding relationships with your local bar is an ongoing…
Court Reporting and Best Practices: The LENS Method
You write notes about the children you serve. But do those notes actually help judges make…
Preserving Sibling Relationships
In Texas, approximately 35 – 40% of sibling groups in foster care are separated, and for…
STAR Health Insurance Information
This is an engaging session with Jorge Gonzales, Executive Director of Star Health, and Anthony Ortega,…
Educational Advocacy with Local CASA Program Discussion Panel
It’s no secret that the odds are stacked against children in foster care in many ways,…
The Karyn Pervis Institute of Child Development
Dr. David Cross is the director at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, which focuses on helping…
PMC Series: Lived Experience and Advocacy Resources
For their next few monthly Zoom meetings, VCA will be presenting a three-part PMC (Permanent Managing…
QRTP (Qualified Residential Treatment Program) DFPS Pilot Update
Qualified Residential Treatment Programs are a new type of residential operation which offer an increase in…
Finding Your Resilience Webinar
Finding Your Resilience is a STAR webinar on resiliency with special guest presenters Dr. Cynthia Lietz and…
Infant and Toddler Advocacy Webinar Series with Child Advocates of Fort Bend County
Texas CASA has partnered with Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) to share their work and…
Surrogate Parent Training
A surrogate or foster parent may be needed to represent a student with a disability during…
Advocacy for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children
This hour-long continuing education training was recorded on May 22, 2019 and features speakers Dr. Jon…
Connecting with Incarcerated Parents and Supporting Children Webinars
These two trainings and panels are intended to help us hear and learn from folks with…
Resources
Legal Terms Glossary
Study up on legal language! This 12-page glossary of legal terms related to CASA cases will…
Holley Factors
In 1976, the Texas Supreme Court set forth a litany of factors that should be considered…
GAL Powers & Duties in the Family Code
Sec. 107.002. POWERS AND DUTIES OF GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR CHILD.
Court Order Suggested Wording
Guardian Ad Litems are given the authority to share limited information obtained through their appointment according…
Reporting 101: A Community Response Guide for Reporting
This guide is presented by Candice Ramos, Faith-Based & Community Engagement (FBCE) Specialist at DFPS, and provides…
Aging Out of Foster Care Resource in English and Spanish
The Texas Foster Youth Justice Project has created a resource for youth aging out of foster…
Educational Advocacy Guidebook
Texas CASA’s Educational Advocacy Guidebook is designed to provide CASA volunteers with the knowledge and tools needed to…
Educational Advocacy Quick Assessment Form
One of the main parts of your job as a volunteer and educational advocate is simply…
CASA Advocacy for Fatherhood
In child welfare, often, there is more focus on engaging mothers than fathers, even though fathers…
Invisible Disabilities Resource Guide
The Invisible Disabilities Resource Guide is a tool to highlight related CASA advocacy practices and resources…
Educational Advocacy Presentation & Resources
This special presentation features Jill Rivera who shared everything you need to know to advocate for…
Advocacy for Older Youth Portal
In 2022, there were 5,600 youth aged 14-17 in foster care in Texas, facing difficult questions…
Advocacy for 0-5 Year Old Children
The infant and toddler (zero to five) population are the largest and most vulnerable group that…
DFPS Incarcerated Parents Resource Guide
In this guide from DFPS, find out how to locate and engage parents who are incarcerated,…
Missing from Care Protocols
Every year, children and youth in foster care, kinship placements or residential settings run away or…
Permanency Planning Resource Guide by DFPS (Last Updated Sept. 2020)
Use this guide to understand the principles of case planning as they relate to permanency and…
Statewide Volunteer Council
Volunteer Council Presentation 2025
In an effort to form a new strategy around volunteer recruitment and retention, the Statewide Volunteer…
Volunteer Council Recommendations
The Volunteer Council was established to provide informed recommendations and suggestions to the network, based on…
Volunteer Survey Results FY24
The statewide volunteer council is excited to share the results of the statewide volunteer survey! More than 500 advocates provided…