CASA For Children of ESSEX COUNTY:
We're stronger together.
All children deserve the opportunity to thrive.
However, when the state steps in to protect a child's safety because the people responsible for protecting them have not, a judge appoints a CASA. CASA volunteers make independent and informed recommendations to help the judge decide what's best for the child.
To accomplish this, CASA of Essex County trains and empowers these community volunteers to speak up for the foster children’s best interest in court, at school and in our community.
Learn about becoming a Volunteer Advocate →
Our Mission
CASA of Essex County promotes the welfare of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment by providing a safety net of support, advocacy, and mentorship.
CASA trains and supervises volunteers to speak up for the best interests of these children in court, to ensure that each child has the opportunity to thrive by receiving needed services and assistance while helping to move the child toward a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible.
Who We Are
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Essex County believes that children in foster care deserve the opportunity to thrive and works to ensure that every child is placed in a safe, and permanent home as quickly as possible.
CASA works towards this goal by recruiting, training, and supervising dedicated volunteer advocates to speak for a child’s best interests in court, at school, and in the community as well as ensure their needs remain a priority in an overburdened child welfare system.
Who We Serve
Last year nearly 500 children were placed in foster care in Essex County alone. These children ranging in age from birth to 21 years old were removed from their homes as a result of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Nearly all of the children CASA of Essex County serves come from families living at or below the federal poverty line.
Get Involved
Each year nearly 500 children in Essex County spend time in foster care. They are removed from their home due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, separated from their family, and find themselves in a world filled with professionals they don’t know. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is committed volunteers who work diligently to make sure these children receive the services they need while in foster care.
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If you are aware of a child victim of domestic abuse, neglect or abandonment, call the New Jersey Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 877-NJ-Abuse.
The CASA for Children of Essex County program is an affiliate member of the National CASA and New Jersey associations. CASA of Essex County © 2020