28 Hour Child Advocate Certificate Program
Take our certificate program, which was designed to align with the NCA recommended standards for advocate training.
Welcome!
All about the learning platform
Program Syllabus
Accessibility Statement
Contacting Your Instructor
Please share a little bit about yourself
VIDEO: Approaching the Topic of Child Abuse
VIDEO: Types of Abuse
INFO: Key Terms
Check your understanding!
VIDEO: Acts of Commission and Omission
VIDEO: Prevalence and Risk Factors
INFO: Protective Factors
VIDEO: Common Patterns Associated with Child Abuse
Check your understanding!
INFO: Child Abuse Allegations
VIDEO: Impact of Abuse on Children
WEB Resources: FightChildAbuse.org
INFO: Cultural Humility in Child Advocacy
Check your understanding!
Resource Guide
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: Overview of Child Abuse Concepts
VIDEO: The CAC Model
INFO: Roles within the CAC
VIDEO: What is an MDT?
INFO: More on the MDT Roles
VIDEO: Key People in the MDT
INFO: The Advocate's Role on the MDT
VIDEOS: Forensic Interviewing
INFO: The MDT Case Review Process
Check your understanding!
INFO: Communication within the MDT
VIDEO: Supporting Non-Offending Caregivers
INFO: Helping Families Access Resources
RESOURCE GUIDE: The Child Advocacy Center (CAC)
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: The Child Advocacy Center (CAC)
VIDEO: The Role of the Advocate
Information: Types of Advocates
VIDEO: Specific Advocacy Skills (Overview)
IMAGE: Difference between advocacy and therapy
VIDEO: What is harm?
VIDEO: What is power-based violence?
Video Resources: More About Sex Trafficking
VIDEO: Overview of Trauma
Quiz #1
VIDEO: Intro to the Criminal Justice System
VIDEO: Intro to the Civil Justice System
VIDEO: Why some victims do not want to go to court
Information: Victims' Rights
VIDEO: Victims' Rights
Information: Victim Restitution and Compensation
Quiz #2
VIDEO: The Advocate's Role in Court
INFO: About Court Procedures
VIDEO: Victim Advocate in Court
INFO: Understanding the Expectations in Court
Check your understanding!
RESOURCE GUIDE: Advocacy 101
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: Advocacy 101
VIDEO: Overview of Ethical Principles (20 min)
INFO: Professional Code of Conduct
INFO: The Challenge of Autonomy
VIDEO: A Deep Dive on Power Sharing and Social Dominance
INFO: Breaking Confidentiality
VIDEO: Webinar on Dual Relationships (1 hour)
VIDEO: Webinar About Conflicts of Interest (1 hour)
VIDEO: Webinar About Personal Values and Ethics (1 hour)
OPTIONAL EXERCISE: Personal Values Exploration
VIDEO: Webinar About Distress Tolerance for Making Mistakes (1 hour)
INFO: Distress Tolerance
OPTIONAL EXERCISE: Distress Tolerance
VIDEO: Ethical Decision Making Model (15 min)
INFO: A model for ethics
Check your understanding!
RESOURCE GUIDE: Ethical Advocacy
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: Ethical Advocacy
VIDEO: Intro to Trauma Symptoms
INFO: The Basics of Trauma
VIDEO: Wide Range of Trauma Causes
VIDEO: Research and Data Overview
INFO: Trauma Research Update
VIDEO: Feeling Shame After Trauma
Check your understanding!
INFO: Trauma in the Brain and Body
VIDEO: Trauma in the Brain
INFO: Window of Tolerance
EXERCISE: Window of Tolerance
Check your understanding!
VIDEO: Supporting Trauma Survivors
INFO: Supporting Trauma Survivors
VIDEO: Grounding
INFO: Understanding Social and Cultural Trauma
Check your understanding!
RESOURCE GUIDE: Trauma 101
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: Trauma 101
All topics were chosen to align with the recommendations from the National Children's Alliance (NCA)

Upon purchase, you will have access to a learning platform with a welcome message, a Zoom link, and some resources to review. On the date of the live course, you will log in to your Thinkific account and click the link to the Zoom meeting. There is no pre-work required, but some resources (articles, videos, etc.) might be available for you to enjoy ahead of time. Learners will have access to the platform and it's resources for 1 month after the live event.
Upon purchase, you will have access to a learning platform with videos, exercises, quizzes, and articles. Complete the course materials at your own place. Some learners will finish in one sitting, while others may take several days or weeks. Learners will have access for 90 days (3 months) from the time of purchase, unless they have purchased a subscription package, which allows ongoing access beyond 3 months.
The Advocacy Academy can build a course tailored to the needs of your organization/ team. The course can be designed in many different ways: (1) In Thinkific (like an on demand course), (2) Live on Zoom, or (3) Live onsite at your company/ organization. Email [email protected] to set up a meeting to discuss.
If you are looking for CEUs for credentialed advocates, NACP or D-SAACP are the accrediting bodies for that certification. On their websites, they indicate that you do not need pre-approval for CEU courses that you may take. Anything related to victim advocacy should count. The staff at The Advocacy Academy can help with any documentation that you need. If you are looking for social work, nursing, or any other kind of CEUs, please contact your accrediting body to find out the requirements. Typically, we able to provide the proper documentation needed for professionals across many disciplines to receive CEUs. It might just require a little leg work!
Yes. If you have a large group of people to enroll, email [email protected] for assistance. You can just send a list with each person's name and email address. We can upload it to the system, rather than entering them one at a time.
From our homepage, find the option titled "Ultimate Advocate Bundle." You can enroll in all of the on demand courses at a discounted rate, and you will receive a year of access, rather than the standard 30 days that usually comes with an on demand course.
Email [email protected]
We offer LIVE trainings (on Zoom with an instructor) or On Demand (with no live instructor). Each course's title indicates if it is "LIVE" or "On Demand."
Payments are non-refundable unless otherwise stated in our refund policy (see Terms and Conditions at the very bottom of this page).
Registrations cannot be transferred to another course or to another person unless otherwise stated in our transfer policy (see Terms and Conditions at the very bottom of this page).
BEFORE you enroll, email [email protected] to request a special invoice.