Applications Now Being Accepted for Jan. CASA Training

SOMERS POINT — Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Atlantic and Cape May Counties is now recruiting volunteers to be court advocates for children living in foster care. CASA currently has nearly 500 children waiting for an advocate that will help ensure they receive the best care while living in the child welfare system. Applications are now being accepted for a training class begins in Jan. Individuals interested in learning more should attend one of CASA’s monthly Information Sessions held on the first Tues. of each month at the CASA office at 321 Shore Road in Somers Point, N.J. or contact Jennifer Valentine at (609) 601-7800 or Jennifer@AtlanticCapeCASA.org. Online volunteer applications can be submitted at AtlanticCapeCASA.org.
“Currently, CASA has the volunteer capacity to serve about 50 percent of the 1,049 children living in foster care in Atlantic and Cape May Counties. Additional volunteers are needed to provide an advocate to every children who needs one,” said CASA Director of Community Development Karen DeRosa. “Volunteers are trained and supported throughout the entire process so they do not need any special skills. A CASA volunteer is a trusted adult advocate who makes sure that each child has access to services and resources while they are not living with their family. By visiting with the child and others, the advocate makes objective recommendations to the Family Court regarding the entire well-being of the child and helps facilitate a safe, permanent home as soon as possible.”
CASA is central to fulfilling society’s most fundamental obligation by assigning a qualified, compassionate adult who will fight for and protect a child’s right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect and to learn and grow in the safe embrace of a loving family. For more information about CASA, visit AtlanticCapeCASA.org.
About Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Atlantic and Cape May Counties:
Trained CASA Volunteers speak in family court on behalf of abused and neglected children in the foster care system and are dedicated to ensuring these children are placed in safe permanent homes as quickly as possible. In Atlantic and Cape May Counties, over 1,000 children are placed in foster care annually. Last fiscal year, CASA served 550 abused and neglected children with over 200 CASA Volunteers and helped place 146 children in permanent homes. For more information about CASA visit www.AtlanticCapeCASA.org. CASA is a United Way Partner Agency.
About National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association:
The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association is a network of almost 1,000 programs that recruit, train and support more than 76,000 citizen-volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtrooms of their communities. The only program of its kind, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are empowered by the courts to provide children with one-on-one advocacy. CASA volunteers see their assigned children regularly and interview all the adults who impact their lives. Volunteer advocates offer judges the critical information they need to ensure each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care, staying with the child until she is placed in a loving permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer is the only constant adult presence in their lives. For more information about the National CASA Association, readers are encouraged to visit www.casaforchildren.org.