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December 18, 2008 WELCOME TO THE SUPPORT CENTER FOR CHILD ADVOCATES' E-NEWSLETTER! To our incredible volunteers, donors, Board and dedicated staff, I welcome you to the inaugural issue of the Support Center for Child Advocates' E-Newsletter! As Board President, I have a unique vantage point that enables me to view the inspiring efforts of so many. Your efforts to change so many children's stories and improve their lives is outstanding. In our quarterly E-Newsletter, you will read and learn about current issues in child advocacy, recent changes in the laws and procedures, typical cases, volunteer training sessions, meet our staff; and you will be invited to attend our special events. Improving communications with you will give you more information about helping our kids and will give you the forum to talk with us. We are always looking for additional volunteers, for additional help with our Board Committees, for leadership of our key events and for your suggestions and input. Please reach out to me anytime at (215) 851-8143 or Lbernstein@reedsmith.com or any of our Staff and Board Members. I want to thank the many volunteers, staff and Board members that assisted in the creation and execution of this newsletter. I especially want to thank the team at LevLane, whose creativity and hard work brought our web site and newsletter to life. In these challenging times, we need your help more than ever. Financially, you can have such a huge impact on our kids! Through major gift opportunities or through a United Way donor option selection, your support helps put our advocates squarely in the corner of hundreds of abandoned, abused, neglected and medically needy children. We fight for their education, their health, their safety; that they are living in a caring environment and have the opportunities we have had. There is no better way to invest our money. The Support Center for Child Advocates is a member of the United Way. I encourage you to direct your United Way donation to the Support Center for Child Advocates by designating Donor Option #00535. Friends, there is no nobler endeavor than the work we do and the contributions you make to help our kids. As we contemplate our holiday gatherings, my message to you is THANK YOU. The Support Center for Child Advocates works and continues its mission of changing the lives of the children because of your energy, creativity, advocacy, generosity and compassion.
Remember Danieal
The "other shoe" finally fell this past summer in the two-year Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) leadership crisis, as Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham issued a grand jury report and indictments of nine people, including two DHS workers, in the inexcusable death of Danieal Kelly. The report cited glaring deficiencies in social work practice afforded to this helpless, disabled 14-year old child, including:
You may recall that following a series of investigative reports in The Philadelphia Inquirer in fall 2006, Mayor John Street dismissed key DHS leaders and convened the Child Welfare Review Panel. I served as a member of the nine-person Panel of local and national experts. Our charge was to "engage in a comprehensive process to assist the City by ensuring the immediate safety of all children in its care, reviewing all child deaths in the last five years, and recommending reforms in DHS policies and practices." We delivered to Mayor Street an extensive set of recommendations, and Mayor Nutter's administration has embraced the Panel's report as their roadmap for reform. What have we learned? The list of lessons is long, and sadly familiar. + Read more legal update Children have a Right to be Heard The Support Center for Child Advocates prides itself on bringing the voice of our individual child clients to the various proceedings in which we represent them. Our volunteer lawyers, together with our social workers, visit our child clients where they live, as well as in their school settings, to learn about their likes and dislikes, their needs and strengths, their hopes and plans for their future. In this manner, the attorney-social worker team is prepared to represent the child knowledgeably in court hearings, and communicate their position to the court. This information is vital for the court to make informed and reasoned decisions concerning the life of the child. + Read more featured events Our Annual Toy Drive is Underway! For the kids we serve the holidays are an exciting but challenging time. The Support Center for Child Advocates is again collecting and delivering toys to our youngsters, now through December 18th. There's still time to bring joy to our kids this holiday season! + Learn More SAVE THE DATE Annual Benefit Reception The Annual Benefit Reception for the Support Center for Child Advocates will be held on April 22, 2009 at Wanamaker's Crystal Tea Room. The Judge Lois Forer Child Advocacy Award will be presented to Mr. Jim Murray, Co-Founder of the Ronald Mc Donald House and former General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. We hope that you can join us. Sponsorship opportunities are available! Please contact Mary Ann Hearn, Director of Development at mhearn@advokid.org or (267) 546-9208 SAVE THE DATE Philadelphia Bar Association 30th Annual 5K Run/Walk May 17, 2009 Martin Luther King Drive Golf Classic 2008 On Monday, October 6th, 130 golfers arrived at Huntingdon Valley Country Club to raise funds for the Support Center for Child Advocates Project for Medically Needy Children. The day commenced with a crisp morning, breaking to sun as the golfers took to the green for a shotgun start at noon. Foursomes played on all three nines, with opportunities to win hole-in-one prizes, including a 2009 Mercedes Benz C300W4. A cocktail hour and dinner welcomed everyone back to the clubhouse. The 3rd Annual Golf Classic raised more than $100,000 to support medically needy kids. The event's sponsors included gold sponsor, Pembroke North Condominium; media sponsors, The Legal Intelligencer, LevLane, Reliable Copy; silver sponsor, McCarter & English LLP; and proud partner, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, among other corporate sponsors.
+ Learn More featured volunteer Robert S. Tintner, Esquire A Volunteer Child Advocate Robert Tintner is a partner at the law firm of Fox Rothschild, LLP. He specializes in commercial litigation. Over ten years ago, a fellow attorney sparked his interest in volunteering with the Support Center for Child Advocates, and Bob has served as a Volunteer Child Advocate ever since. + Learn more featured staff member R. Allison Modica, MSS, MLSP Director of the Outcomes in Behavioral Health Project (OBH) at the Support Center for Child Advocates Allison joined the staff of the Support Center for Child Advocates in 2007 as the Director of the Outcomes in Behavioral Health Project, seeks to improve access to and participation in behavioral health treatment services for child victims of abuse and neglect. + Read more new additions Board of Directors The Support Center for Child Advocates welcomes the addition of six new board members:
Staff Members We've also added three new staff members:
q&a Welcome to the Questions and Answers section of our Newsletter. This section focuses on questions that you, our readers, have submitted. If you would like to submit a question for our next newsletter, please send your inquiry to rlmlaw@verizon.net. Question: I heard that Judge Alice Beck Dubow has issued new procedures for her Courtroom, can you tell me what they are? + Answer Question: I understand that there have been recent changes in the protocol regarding dependency cases. Can you advise me of the changes? + Answer
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