Welcome to the National CASA Flex Learning: Volunteer Training Curriculum. Over the course of the next five weeks, you will spend at least 30 hours of learning time completing a number of activities, some of which will be online; some in-person. It is important to keep in mind that the successful completion of ALL activities (both online and in-person) is required before you can become a CASA/GAL volunteer and take your first case. By the end of your pre-service training, you will have a general overview of the skills necessary to:

· Initiate an investigation and make recommendations to the court in child abuse and neglect cases

· Complete a court report in a timely manner in order to provide an informed opinion on the best interest of a child

· Develop rapport and address the needs of children and families in the dependency system in order to establish a safe, permanent home for abused and neglected children

Session 1: Getting Started

During your first week of this course, you'll begin to navigate through the online content of the training, including videos, resources, discussion forums and interactive e-learning activities. You'll learn about the role of the CASA/GAL volunteer, the development of child welfare laws and a child's experience of the child welfare system.

The Session 1 Volunteer Manual will guide you through the online portion of this session. It contains much of the content and instructions for the online activities listed below. If the facilitator has not provided you with a printed copy of the Volunteer Manual, please open and print out the document that appears below in posting titled "Volunteer Manual Week 1 Session 1"

Activity 1.4 (Part 3): State Child Abuse and Neglect Statutes

Casa Volunteer Coordinator