Standard 8 Volunteer Administration
Follows written policies for recruiting, screening, training, supporting, supervising, recognizing, and retaining volunteers to fulfill the role and duties of court-appointed special advocates, in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and standards.
- Recruitment Plan for volunteer advocates
- Sample of standardized information used to recruit volunteer advocates
- Volunteer Application (a copy of a blank form or redacted as necessary)
Documentation of background screening for each volunteer advocate as required in Standard 5.B - Signed agreements from volunteer advocates:
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Confidentiality Policy
- Social Media Policy
- CASA/GAL Volunteer Policies and Procedures
- Reactivation Policy for volunteers who have been inactive for more than one (1) year. The written policy shall include guidelines under which a volunteer would not have to be retrained. The volunteer’s file must include
documentation of reactivation (This may be included in Volunteer Policies and Procedures) - Copy of equivalent curriculum for review and written pre-approval before use from National CASA/GAL if the program is not using the current National CASA/GAL Association Pre-Service Training curriculum
- Documentation of pre-service attendance and completion date for each volunteer advocate
- Documentation/confirmation that facilitator requirements have been met consistent with Standard 8.C.4
- Documentation of continuing education hours and content for pre-service training facilitators (This may include professional development hours for staff)
- Proof of court observation if allowable (documentation of dates)
- Pre-Service training records:
- Training dates
- Name(s) of facilitator(s)
- Verification that the facilitator has been trained in accordance with the standard
- Participant attendance and completion records
- Documentation of continuing education hours and content for volunteer advocates to include dates of attendance and/or completion
- Procedure for acceptance and assignment of cases. (This may be included in Operational Policies, MOU with the court, or a separate procedure)
- Signed court order(s) of appointment
- Documentation of staff supervision meeting dates with volunteer advocates (These may be notes in a case management system)
- Case assignment list to include case number, name of volunteer advocate and staff supervisor
- Volunteer performance evaluation documentation
- Volunteer Retention Plan
- Volunteer Policies and Procedures
- Signed acknowledgement of receiving the Volunteer Policies and Procedures for each volunteer advocate
- Volunteer job description, roles and responsibilities (This may be included in Volunteer Policies and Procedures)
- Exceptions Policy, if applicable, for in-person contact minimum requirement per Standard 8.F.5.g (This may be included in the Volunteer Policies and Procedures)
- Policy to resolve conflicts between volunteer advocates and the program supervisor (This may be included in the Volunteer Policies and Procedures)
Exceptions Policy, if applicable, for case assignment ratios per Standard 8.F.8 (This may be included in the Volunteer Policies and Procedures) - When the practice of transporting children is not prohibited in the state, and the program allows staff or volunteers to provide transportation for children, the program has written policies for transportation that include the following required documents (see also Standard 8):
- Proof of appropriate liability protection/insurance for the program and staff
- Written permission of the supervisor or executive director
- Written permission of the child’s legal guardian or custodial agency
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children:
- Documentation of annual motor vehicles division record
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children: Annual copy of a valid unexpired current driver’s license, and proof of adequate personal automobile insurance that meets the required state minimum if one exists or the program’s insurance carrier minimum if absent a state minimum
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children: Proof of appropriate liability protection/insurance for the program and staff Written permission of the supervisor or executive director
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children: Written permission of the child’s legal guardian or custodial agency
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children:
- Documentation of annual motor vehicles division record
- When allowing use of a personal vehicle for transportation of children: Annual copy of a valid unexpired current driver’s license, and proof of adequate personal automobile insurance that meets the required state minimum if one exists or the program’s insurance carrier minimum if absent a state minimum
- When a program allows volunteers or staff to take photos of children, the program has written policies that guide the purpose, use, distribution, storage and destruction of the photos after case closure.
- Policies allow photos only when: Requested or required by the court to be included with or in the court report, or
- Policies allow photos only when: Written permission is obtained from the legal guardian.
- Policies prohibit the use of photos for social media, marketing or personal use unless written authorization is provided by the legal guardian.
- Policies and procedures for corrective action and non-voluntary dismissal of volunteers (This may be included in Volunteer Policies and Procedures)
- Volunteer records include documentation of elements listed in Standard 8.H
- Policies that specify when, and if, volunteers have access to their records and detail the procedures for review, addition and correction (by volunteers) of information contained in the record (This may be included in Volunteer Policies and Procedures)
- Records Retention Policy (see also Standard 10)
- Board minutes reflecting review and/or updates to required plans and policies included in this standard
Downloadable Resources
- Exception Form Exceeding Case Limit Template
- Document Retention Destruction Policy Template
- Conflict of Interest Policy Template
- Confidentiality Agreement Template
- CASA Release from Case Order Template
- CASA Order of Appointment Template
- CASA Acceptance and Assignment Order Template
- Background Check CYFD NM Abuse and Neglect Check
- Background Check 1 LexisNexis Template
- Volunteer Transportation Agreement Template
- Volunteer Handbook Template
- Volunteer Evaluation
- Volunteer Application Template