AJR51

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman BRITNEE N. TIMBERLAKE

District 34 (Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

Designates April of each year as “CASA Child Advocate Month.”

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

A Joint Resolution designating April of each year as “CASA Child Advocate Month.”

Whereas, It is estimated that there are 1.9 million residents of New Jersey aged 18 and under; and

Whereas, Among that total, over 2,800 cases of child abuse and neglect were substantiated by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in 2017; and

Whereas, Incidents of child abuse can include physical, mental, sexual, and emotional attacks, assaults, and manipulation; and

Whereas, Adverse childhood experiences and trauma associated with child abuse can have long-lasting effects on a child’s health, wellbeing, and success; and

Whereas, Survivors of child abuse need people in their lives that will consider their best interests; and

Whereas, The New Jersey Department of Children and Families serves in an official capacity by investigating allegations of child abuse and working with families to strengthen and empower them with supports and services; and

Whereas, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are assigned by family court judges to champion the needs of child abuse victims; and

Whereas, CASAs are everyday people, with diverse backgrounds and professions, who volunteer to go through very specialized training to be a voice for children in the child welfare system; and

Whereas, CASA volunteers serve as the court’s eyes and ears in a child’s life, helping to improve the quality of information presented to the court and child welfare systems; and

Whereas, In State fiscal year 2018, CASAs provided assistance to 3,877 foster children in New Jersey; and

Whereas, April 2019 is National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month, an observance that reflects the purpose of CASA programs; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. April of each year shall be designated as “CASA Child Advocate Month” in New Jersey.

2. The Governor is respectfully encouraged to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe “CASA Child Advocate Month” with activities that promote public awareness of CASA volunteers’ critical role in advocating for victims of child abuse and neglect.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This resolution designates the month of April of each year as “CASA Child Advocate Month” in New Jersey, to coincide with National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Jersey volunteers advocate for the needs and interests of abused and neglected children in family court in all 21 counties in the State. CASAs’ goal is to ensure that all children in the child welfare system have a safe and loving, permanent home. Each CASA volunteers to undergo a minimum of 30 hours of specialized training before they are assigned their first child. These highly-trained volunteers secure necessary educational and healthcare services for every child they help. CASAs also regularly visit the child, providing consistency in the often-tumultuous life of a foster child. In addition, CASAs meet with the child’s parents, other family members, social workers, school officials, and healthcare workers, and review all of the child’s case files before making recommendations to the family court on the child’s placement. In fiscal year 2018, 1,896 CASA volunteers served over 3,800 New Jersey children, and closed 1,094 of cases.