Voices for Children’s training program, Advocate University, comprises 35 hours of classroom and online training and includes the following topics:
Introduction to Voices for Children
Child Development
Court Report Writing
Working with Biological Parents
Educational Advocacy
Relationship Building
Early Intervention Training
Policies and Procedures
Child Welfare Services
Dependency Law
Courtroom Procedures/Court Files
Diversity
Advocating for Transitional Age Youth
Advocating for LGBTQ Youth
Domestic Violence
Substance Abuse
Training concludes with a graduation ceremony at which the volunteers are sworn in as officers of the Court by a Juvenile Dependency Court judge. There is a nominal fee for Advocate University, which can be waived if needed.
How to Apply
To be eligible for training, you must first attend one of our Volunteer Information Sessions and complete and submit our CASA Application for San Diego County or Riverside County. You must also interview with a Voices for Children staff member. Please keep in mind that there are application deadlines for each training session. Note: You must attend Advocate University in the county where you would like to volunteer.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Advocate University is held in Kearny Mesa. Below are the dates for our upcoming in-classroom trainings. All classes for each training session are mandatory.
January 2018 (Evenings)
January 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 23, 24 (5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.)
Graduation: February 19 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
January-February (Saturdays)
January 30, February 2, 9, 16 (8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Graduation: March 12 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
March 2019 (Mornings)
March 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 20, 21
Graduation: April 10 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Advocate University is held in various locations throughout the County. Below are the dates for our upcoming in-classroom trainings. All classes for each training session are mandatory.
January 2019 Training in Murrieta (Evenings)
January 15, 16, 17, 23. 24, 30, 31 (5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
March 2019 Training in Palm Desert (Saturdays)
March 9, 16, 23 (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
April 2019 Training in Riverside (Evenings)
April 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, May 1 (5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Our Thanks
Advocate University is funded, in part, by the generosity of Cox Communications, 
the Parker Foundation, the Leichtag Foundation, the Price Family Charitable Fund, the Galinson Family Foundation, an anonymous donor at the Jewish Community Foundation, and the Judicial Council of California. We are deeply thankful for their contributions.