Victim Advocacy Training

There are four levels of certification — provisional, basic, intermediate and advanced — based on different requirements. Some of the topics of the training include domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, mandated reporting, and more. Being certified helps both you and those victimized by crime.

Some of the benefits of certification include:

• Enhanced recognition, credibility and mobility in the victim assistance field
• Initiation and definition by the field, rather than by outside professional groups
• Professional identification with a group whose common ground is victim services and whose members abide by a Professional Code of Ethics for Victim Service Professionals
• Certified are renewable every two years and may be upgraded.
• Certified advocates may request an indication of a “Specialty” on their credential (Comprehensive, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, etc.) supported by documented specialty training
• Certified advocates receive a certificate suitable for framing and a portable wallet card
• Certified advocates may use the designation “CA” after their names

Learn more about becoming certified here.

Application

All areas must be complete. Incomplete applications cannot be processed, which will result in a delayed response. By accepting this application packet, you release casfv from providing reason(s) for non-acceptance.

• resume – each intern must submit a resume with their application
• personal references – list two personal references on your application
• schedule - please give a tentative schedule, and casfv will try to accommodate your needs
• criminal background check – this page must be notarized in order for the criminal background investigation to be processed; a casfv staff member can notarize it for you if necessary; volunteers cannot have any felony or misdemeanor convictions on their record within the previous five years; assault charges at any point in time, of any kind, are unacceptable and volunteer/intern placement will be denied, because of the types of services casfv provides.

Due to casfv’s limited budget, volunteers and interns must pay a $3.00 fee for the background check. Please make check or money order payable to the Center Against Sexual & Family Violence. We also accept cash or credit cards.

Interview(s)

Volunteers, interns, and casfv employees are all screened in the same way. Once the background check has been completed, potential volunteers will be contacted and interviewed by the Volunteer Coordinator. Interns will follow the same process and complete an additional interview with their potential supervisor.

Acceptance

Volunteers and interns who have been accepted will be notified via phone or email.

Training

All direct-service volunteers and interns are required to attend a training session before they begin working with clients. BECAUSE CLIENT NEEDS ARE CASFV’S MAIN PRIORITY, NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE. On occasion, a volunteer or intern will be invited to training before all necessary paperwork has been completed. In such an instance, an invitation to casfv training does not necessarily mean acceptance as a volunteer, the interview process must still be followed.

Get Started Today

Begin the application process and become an advocate.