COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF MORRIS AND SUSSEX COUNTIES INC

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Morris and Sussex Counties (CASA) is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to speak up for the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to substantiated abuse, neglect, or abandonment. These child victims have been placed by New Jersey’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) in foster homes or in residential facilities (out-of-home placements). CASA’s mission is achieved through the recruitment, training, and supervision of community volunteers who secure resources and services for these children. For example, using focused educational advocacy, CASA volunteers work with children, families, schools, and all other relevant professionals to ensure the children receive the appropriate educational resources. Using focused medical advocacy, CASA volunteers comprehensively monitor the overall medical, dental, hearing, vision, psychological, and developmental status of the children they serve. CASA volunteers are assigned to specific children or sibling groups, and represent the best interests of each child to the Family Court Judges and child-welfare agencies. The volunteers also work to ensure that each child is in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home as soon as possible.