Course description
In this course you will be provided important information about your role as a Volunteer Child Advocate as well as an overview of the child welfare system.
The main objectives are to:
- Define your role as a volunteer and the parameters of the volunteer-child relationship
- Understand there are competencies needed to succeed in your role such as, empathy and critical thinking
- Describe the nature and scope of Florida's child welfare system
- Discuss a child's journey through the child welfare system
This material has been exclusively designed for I am for the child Academy.
Please note the term Guardian ad Litem (GAL) means the same as Volunteer Child Advocate.
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
Laurie Blades received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor is Special education and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Central Florida. She has worked in the human services field in both the private and public sectors in the areas of children’s mental health, juvenile justice, special education and child welfare for more than twenty-five years. She has provided direct services to children and youth with mental health and behavioral conditions as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and mental health counselor and has comprehensive knowledge of Florida’s system of care serving children, youth and their families. Previously, she served as the Chief of Children’s Mental Health and the Deputy Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Currently, she is the Director of Children’s Behavioral Health Advocacy for the Florida Guardian ad Litem program.
Vanessa Snoddy has worked in the in the human services field in both the private and public sector of child welfare for twenty years. She had the opportunity to work with children and their families in various roles serving as a Case Manager, Child Protective Investigator, and Child Protective Investigator Supervisor. She served as the Criminal Justice Coordinator for the Department as the subject matter expert on missing children and human trafficking and worked in collaboration with Homeland Security and U.S. Marshall to implement a federal pilot program in the Central Region with a focus on rescuing missing children who were victims to trafficking. Previously, she served as a Regional Manager with the Department for Licensing, Adoptions, Independent Living, Repatriation of Minors, Unaccompanied Minors, Human Trafficking, and Missing Children. She currently serves as the Case Management and Well Being Manager with oversite of the Independent Living Program, Out-of-Home and In-home Case Management, and Licensing of Child Caring and Child Placing Agencies for the Office of Child Welfare’s Policy and Practice team.