Essex County Volunteers Sworn in as Advocates for Foster Youth – Patch.com

On June 19, 2018 Essex County Superior Court Judge Katz swore in residents of Bloomfield, Orange, Livingston, Montclair, Maplewood, Newark, South Orange, and West Caldwell as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). These volunteers recently completed 33 hours of training to prepare for their role as advocates for Essex County’s abused, neglected or abandoned children who were removed from their homes and placed in foster care. CASAs speak up for these children in court to ensure they receive the services and support they need, and that their time in care is as short as possible.

CASA volunteers act as an extra set of eyes and ears for family court judges. In addition to spending time with the youth, advocates communicate with all parties involved in the youth’s life, such as resource parents, caseworkers, teachers, doctors, and therapists, to gather information about what is happening in a child’s life. All findings are included in a court report.

Of the 1,800 children in foster care within Essex County each year, nearly 600 were served by CASA. More volunteers are needed to work with over 1,200 youth who still need a CASA Advocate. The next training course begins July 16. For more information regarding training or other ways to help the organization reach more foster youth, contact Jess at 973-622-4831 or jearl@casaessex.org.

Pictured from left (back): Morgan Maglich – Maplewood, NJ; Daniel Salemson – South Orange, NJ; Oscar Morales – Bloomfield, NJ; Emily Berkowitz – Livingston, NJ

(middle): Desiree Holloway – Orange, NJ; Andrea Dellechiaie – Montclair, NJ; Tom Mee – West Caldwell, NJ; Gideon Romann – Maplewood, NJ

(front): Hattie Roberts – Newark, NJ; Nicole Shealey – South Orange, NJ; Sheryl Pearlstein – Livingston, NJ