CFE Searching Tools Webinar
2025-08-21 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)
You’re invited to join the Texas CASA CFE Team for a webinar training to learn more about the different searching tools available to you through Collaborative Family Engagement. While we encourage starting with engagement, we recognize that there may be situations where searching may be necessary. The following tools will be discussed: Case/File Mining, Seneca Searches, Connect Our Kids, Non-U.S. Based Searches, Internet Searching and Social Media.

Weekly New ED Call
2025-08-27 09:00 - 10:00
Upcoming Topics:

October 9 – The More You Know Meetings

October 16 – Quarterly Legal Resources

January 15 – The More You Know Meetings

January 29 – Quarterly Legal Resources

March 26 – Quarterly Legal Resources

April 2 – The More You Know Meetings

July 16 – The More You Know Meetings

CFE: Family Meeting Workday (In Person)
2025-08-27 09:00 - 16:00
The CFE Family Meeting Workday is designed for professionals across CASA, CPS and SSCCs who support and facilitate family meetings. This in-person gathering will provide hands-on strategies, real-world examples, and skill-building activities that promote comprehensive and effective facilitation, ensuring every voice is heard and valued. Space is limited so this event is by invite only. Please reach out to the CFE Team if you have any questions.

Labor Day
2025-09-01 00:00 - 23:59

HHSC Request for Reimbursement
2025-09-10 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-10 08:00 - 17:00

CASA ACT Day (Anti-Child Trafficking)
2025-09-10 09:30 - 16:00
CASA ACT Day (Anti-Child Trafficking) will be held on September 10th from 9:30-4 in Austin. This event is open to any program who is currently utilizing ACT Advocacy in some capacity. Join us for an information filled day where we learn from experts, share best practices and strengthen our CASA ACT Advocacy. Because of limited space, only one staff member per program is able to register. For questions, please contact Torey Tipton (casaacts@texascasa.org) or Anna McDonnell (amcdonell@texascasa.org).

Registration closes August 26, 2025

New Executive Director University (In Person)
2025-09-11 08:00 - 2025-09-12 17:00 | Texas CASA Office, 1501 W Anderson Ln. B2, Austin, Texas, 78757, United States

VOCA Request for Reimbursement
2025-09-15 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-15 08:00 - 17:00

Program Director Monthly Meeting
2025-09-15 08:00 - 17:00

STAR Monthly Zoom: College Knowledge for CASA Advocacy
2025-09-16 12:00 - 13:00
Please mark your calendars for a special STAR Zoom on Tuesday, September 16 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., when we will welcome Jill Rivera from Lonestar College for a presentation on College Knowledge for CASA Advocacy. The presentation will cover college knowledge for youth in foster care, including timelines and financial assistance, as well as how to support youth in decision-making for a successful transition to college. This information is so important to CASA educational advocacy for older youth, so we are inviting all CASA staff and CASA Volunteers to this special presentation.

Keep Calm and CASA On! Recruitment Zoom Chats
2025-09-17 13:15 - 14:15
Join us for an exclusive training session on the How Heard tool on Wednesday, September 17, at 1:15 p.m. CST. This powerful tool within the Optima platform will help you streamline and track potential volunteers from the time they first hear about CASA to becoming a volunteer. Optima Consultant Rob Hahn will show you how to leverage this tool with Optima to efficiently capture and manage inquiries from prospective volunteers and move their information through the volunteer pipeline. You’ll learn how to get the most out of the How Heard tool, helping you know more about your volunteer pool and connect with the right candidates faster. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your recruitment efforts and volunteer tracking to the next level!

This training will take place during the regular September monthly Keep Calm and CASA On recruiter Zoom chat and is primarily for recruiters, but any CASA staff who tracks volunteers in Optima is welcome to join.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89041790555 (No need to register, just show up!)

CFE Community Call
2025-09-18 14:00 - 15:30
Join us for a learning and networking opportunity for those involved in CFE to come together and share ideas, strategies, and learnings- strengthening our statewide CFE community.

Texas CASA Post-Session & Leadership Tour of Texas Training Series
2025-09-19 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-09-29 10:30 - 13:30, 2025-09-30 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-01 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-13 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-17 08:00 - 17:00
This September and October, Texas CASA’s Leadership and the Public Policy Teams will be traveling across the state to provide Post-Session Trainings, general updates and to facilitate conversations about the future of CASA in Texas. These regional in-person sessions will provide CASA program volunteers, staff and board members with a deep dive into the new laws passed during the 89th Legislative Session and give local CASA program leaders a chance to catch up with the Leadership team from Texas CASA. The Public Policy Team’s portion of the training will be 3 hours and include lunch. Local program leadership will then be invited to stay for Texas CASA’s Leadership Team meeting.

2025 Tour of Texas Schedule:

September 19 – Georgetown – CASA of Williamson County

September 29 – Tyler – CASA for Kids of East Texas

September 30 – Dallas – Dallas CASA

October 1 – Amarillo – Amarillo Area CASA

October 13 – San Antonio – Child Advocates San Antonio

October 17 – Corpus Christi – CASA of the Coastal Bend

October 24 – Abilene – Big Country CASA

October 30 – Rosenberg – Child Advocates of Fort Bend

Please consider sending local program leaders to at least one event, but anyone from your program who may be interested in public policy and/or participating in advocacy during the interim is encouraged to attend. The Public Policy Team will be sending out invitations, but feel free to email publicpolicy@texascasa.org if you are interested in attending any of these trainings. We look forward to seeing you all in person!

HHSC Quarterly Performance Measures
2025-09-22 08:00 - 17:00

Weekly New ED Call
2025-09-24 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-01 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-08 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-15 09:00 - 10:00

STAR Monthly Zoom: Educational Advocacy Local CASA Program Panel Discussion
2025-09-29 12:00 - 13:00
Educational Advocacy Local CASA Program Panel Discussion

The STAR team is excited to host a local program panel discussion on educational advocacy. It’s no secret that the odds are stacked against children in foster care in many ways, this is especially true when it comes to education. Education can be a lifeline for students who experience trauma and school offers a safe environment to build confidence, connectedness, skills and trust. Please join your peers for information and resources on how you can best advocate for the children you serve at school.

The STAR Monthly Zoom Series is for volunteer supervisors and CASA staff that work directly with volunteers. The monthly Zoom meetings will be held on the last Monday of the month unless otherwise announced in Inside CASA or on the STAR listserv.

REgister here

Sharpening Skills Webinar: Rooted
2025-10-08 12:00 - 13:00
🌳 CASA Webinar Series: Rooted

🖥️ Register in CASA College: https://casacollege.myabsorb.com/#/instructor-led-courses/e1b355c1-aa0a-4ba7-9c3f-000be54c7ba2

Theme: Rooted – Being steady, thoughtful, and grounded in the midst of a chaotic system.

This year-long webinar series is designed to support CASA volunteers in staying centered and effective as they navigate the complexities of child advocacy. Each quarter, we’ll explore a different way to stay rooted — in the case, the child, yourself and your instincts.

📅 Quarterly Topics & Dates

————————————————————–

Q2: Rooted in the Body – Understanding Sensory and Emotional Dysregulation

January 14, 2026

Join us for an insightful and practical session designed for CASA volunteers and child advocates who want to deepen their understanding of how trauma, neurodiversity, and environmental factors influence children’s behavior and regulation.

In this webinar, we’ll explore:

How sensory and emotional dysregulation manifests in children, especially those with trauma histories or neurodiverse profiles.

What CASA volunteers might observe during home visits or in school environments.

How to respond with empathy and effectiveness—without pathologizing the child.

Strategies for observing behavior and using strengths-based, non-stigmatizing language in court reports and advocacy.

Whether you’re new to this work or looking to refine your approach, this session will equip you with tools to better support the children you serve—rooted in compassion, understanding, and respect for each child’s unique experience.

————————————

Q3: Rooted in Yourself – Preserving Mental Health and Energy in CASA Work

April 8, 2026

Your well-being is essential to your advocacy.

This webinar is a space for CASA volunteers and child advocates to reflect, recharge, and reconnect with their purpose. The work is meaningful—but it can also be emotionally demanding. Let’s talk about how to sustain your energy and mental health while showing up fully for the children you serve.

In this session, we’ll explore:

How to recognize signs of secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

Practical tools for setting boundaries, saying no, and checking in with yourself.

When and how to reach out for support from your supervisor or team.

You’ll leave with strategies to help you stay grounded, resilient, and rooted in your own well-being—because caring for yourself is part of caring for others.

———————

Q4: Rooted in Curiosity – Digging Deeper When Something Feels Off

July 8, 2026

Sometimes, it’s not what’s said—but what’s missing—that matters most.

This webinar is designed to help CASA volunteers and child advocates sharpen their instincts and investigative skills when something in a case doesn’t sit right. Learn how to follow your curiosity with care, clarity, and confidence.

In this session, we’ll cover:

How to recognize gaps, inconsistencies, or red flags in case information.

What to document and how to raise concerns constructively—without making accusations.

How to use patterns, subtle clues, and thoughtful questions to strengthen your advocacy.

You’ll leave with tools to help you dig deeper, ask better questions, and advocate more effectively—while staying grounded in curiosity and compassion.

All webinars are free, virtual, and open to CASA volunteers and staff. All webinars located in registration link through CASA College.

🖥️ Registration in CASA College: https://casacollege.myabsorb.com/#/instructor-led-courses/e1b355c1-aa0a-4ba7-9c3f-000be54c7ba2

📌 CEUs available upon completion

Stay grounded. Stay curious. Stay rooted.

VOCA Quarterly Progress Report
2025-10-10 08:00 - 17:00

Keep Calm and CASA On! Recruitment Zoom Chats
2025-10-15 13:15 - 14:15
Join the Texas CASA recruitment team and your fellow recruiters on the third Wednesday of each month for the Keep Calm and CASA On! recruitment Zoom calls. The calls will all be around general recruitment, but each one will have a different topic of focus. You’ll hear updates from Texas CASA, learn from guest speakers, and have plenty of time to chat with other recruiters about what they are doing in the world of recruitment.

You don’t need to pre-register for the Zoom call. Just sign on when it’s time. All calls will start at 1:15 p.m. CST. Below is the Zoom link to join or or call in at 1-346-248-7799

Meeting ID: 890 4179 0555

CFE 101 Virtual Training
2025-10-16 13:00 - 16:00
CFE 101 is a virtual training for those implementing Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE). This three-hour session covers the fundamentals of CFE and includes hands-on practice with core tools and skills. CASA, CPS, and Community-Based Care staff are all encouraged to attend.

The training will be offered twice during the year, on October 16, 2025, and May 14, 2026. Both sessions take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central Time. Each session includes the same content, and you are welcome to attend either one.

Before attending, please complete the two-hour CFE E-Learning. CASA and SSCC staff and volunteers can access the course at https://texascasa.org/program-portal/resources/collaborative-family-engagement/. CPS staff can find the training in CLOE or the DFPS Learning Station by searching for “CFE.” The course is titled Collaborative Family Engagement Foundational Online Training and is listed as course number 0003968.

If you have already completed this training, consider registering for CFE 201, a deeper dive into advanced CFE tools and strategies. You can find more information and register for CFE 201 at this link.

Social Work CEUs will be available. For questions or additional information, contact us at cfeteam@texascasa.org.

​
