A group of community volunteers were recently sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocates  by the honorable Maritza Berdote Byrne. CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties, a local non-profit organization, trains and supervises community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.

The new volunteers have made the extraordinary commitment to “speak up” for the vulnerable children in court and to ensure that they receive the medical and educational resources they need to thrive, and, most importantly, that they find permanent, safe and nurturing homes in a timely manner.

Family and friends gathered in the Morris County Courthouse to watch the volunteers take an oath agreeing to advocate for the best interest of the child and to perform the role of a judiciary volunteer. Among the new volunteers are Glen Caplin of Randolph,  Virginia Daniele of Flanders and Melanie Lawrie  of Whippany.

CASA volunteers participate in an extensive 36-hour training program before officially being sworn in to be assigned a child in the foster care system. CASA volunteers visit with the child regularly, attend court hearings, school meetings and meet with all parties involved in the child’s case. The volunteers report their findings to the court and make recommendations for the child’s best interest.

“Our volunteers pledge to stay with each child until the case is closed, and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home,” said Lisa Barsky Firkser, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Morris and Sussex Counties. “The advocate is often the only consistent adult presence in the child’s life.”CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties is part of a statewide network of community-based, non-profit programs that recruit, screen, train, and supervise volunteers to “Speak Up for a Child.”    Visit casamsc.org or call 973-998-7590 for more information about CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties.