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Welcome to CASA for Children of Bergen County!
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers are everyday people who are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children living in the foster care system. A CASA volunteer advocates for one child's case until he/she is placed into a safe, permanent and loving home.
Every year in New Jersey, approximately 9,000 abused and neglected children are removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system (including foster homes, residential treatment facilities, shelter, and hospitals). Bergen County is home to over 300 of these children. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program ensures that these children -- victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological torment, or abandonment -- have a voice in the court proceedings that determine their fates. There are over 900 CASA programs throughout the United States. CASA for Children of Bergen County is affiliated with both National CASA and CASA of NJ.
Mission Statement
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Bergen County is an independent, nonprofit organization of professionals and trained volunteers who have been appointed by the NJ Family Court to advocate for children removed from their homes due to abuse and/or neglect. CASA works to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to these children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes.
Snapshot of CASA for Children of Bergen County
- 8 years old – opened in August 2003
- 4 full time employees; 1 part time employee; 1 AmeriCorps VISTA
- 21 volunteer trainings held
- 195 volunteers trained
- 279 children advocated for to-date
- 28,000 hours donated by CASA volunteers
UPCOMING TRAINING: Training will begin February 22nd and run every Wednesday evening from 5:30-9:00pm until March 28, 2012.
Our next Information Sessions will be:
- Tuesday, Janaury 10, 2012 at 7:00p
- Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7:00pm
All information sessions and training are held at One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ 07601 in the Learning Center on the 4th Floor. Directions can be found here. For more information, please contact Jennifer Murrin at 201-336-7520 or jennifer@bergencasa.org.
In the state of NJ, every citizen, regardless of occupation, is a mandatory reporter of child abuse and/or neglect. If you suspect someone is being abused or neglected, please call the state child welfare hotline at 1-877-NJ-ABUSE (1-877-652-2873)