Federal oversight of our child welfare system is over but the work must continue
The disturbing basement discovery more than 20 years ago of 7-year-old Faheem Williams, his body mummified, and his two brothers still alive but starved, rocked not only the Garden State but the nation.
Faheem’s family was known to the child welfare system, but the overwhelmed caseworker hadn’t checked in. The shocking revelations spurred then-Gov. Jim McGreevey to settle a four-year-old federal class-action lawsuit claiming New Jersey was failing its vulnerable children.
The settlement led to court-ordered mandates and more than two decades of federal oversight that ended just nine months ago. Although New Jersey’s system has now been transformed with safeguards and infrastructure to bring child welfare policies into compliance and keep them there, the fact is protecting vulnerable children will always require a multi-faceted approach. It is an undertaking without easy answers.
Let me be clear: The work of New Jersey’s child welfare system is crucial and those devoted to its mission carry the weight of each child’s past, present, and future. It is critical, onerous work, and the impact of committed staff and caseworkers cannot be understated.
Still, despite a system revamp, there are always more needs, more numbers, more emergencies, and more stories of children mired in difficult, devastating circumstances than any one resource should carry alone. As a society, as communities, and as humans who care for future generations, these “mores” are an opportunity.
There are more than 5,000 child and teen victims in New Jersey living in foster care through no fault of their own, experiencing ever-changing caseworkers and foster homes — the latter of which brings new schools, teachers, peers, rules, and further instability.
A CASA volunteer counteracts that, fulfilling a child’s critical need for consistency and continuity.
Tasked with championing the best interests of abused, neglected, and abandoned children, a volunteer advocate is appointed by a family court judge to serve as a constant, caring adult in a child’s corner for the duration of the case, no matter its twists and turns. They gather information from family, teachers, doctors, therapists, and others to inform fact-based observations that fuel their evidence-based recommendations to judges deciding children’s futures.
A state caseworker often oversees up to 20 children; a CASA volunteer works with one child or sibling group at a time. Collaboration between caseworkers and volunteer advocates bolsters efforts for every child-victim and helps ensure nothing and no one slips through the cracks.
CASA volunteers enjoy extensive support from CASA staff with graduate-level knowledge and experience in social work, law, psychology, child welfare, education, and child advocacy. Advocates navigate their cases, collaborate with stakeholders, write court reports, monitor services, and bring the most recent possible updates to court hearings.
Studies show that children with a CASA volunteer experience significantly higher academic success, positive social relationships, and overall well-being. They are also more likely to find permanency and not re-enter the child welfare system.
So, who makes a good CASA volunteer? There is no one formula; people from all walks of life bring their own skills and experiences, and prior experience or knowledge of the child welfare system or law is not required. Extensive training on the volunteer’s role, child development, poverty, cultural competence, educational and medical advocacy, substance use, mental health, trauma, and interviewing techniques ensures each advocate is ready to serve. Once trained and sworn in by the court, each volunteer advocate is assigned a supervisor and child or sibling set.
CASA of Passaic and Union Counties recruits, screens, trains, and supervises volunteers year-round to advocate for vulnerable children from both counties living in foster care. While advocates are needed in both counties, currently, Union County is experiencing a critical shortage of volunteer advocates, as just 30% of children in foster care there have a CASA volunteer. This means hundreds of Union County children remain without a consistent, caring adult to serve as extra eyes and ears for the judge, advocate for their best interests, and to ensure their needs are met.
July is National Make a Difference to Children Month and as executive director of Child Focus, the nonprofit organization responsible for the CASA program in both Passaic and Union counties, I urge you to stand up, step up, and become a CASA volunteer. If you aren’t able to commit the time required, consider financially supporting the organization in order to serve more children.
You – and neighbors, friends, colleagues, and loved ones that join you – will change life trajectories and help restore carefree childhoods where safety and permanency are non-negotiables. If not you, who?