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1. Frankly Speaking
The Story of Charleeni
The death of Charleeni Ferreira tells an incredible story. Parental abuse undetected for years. Siren calls of suspicion from school nurses who were then mistrusted. A child not comfortable enough or perhaps too traumatized to reveal her sad secret. Her story and one other reveal some answers. Last month I had occasion to visit with a family whose child was subject to a protective action in Philadelphia’s Dependency Court. A four-year-old boy had been found wandering on his neighborhood street at night. While the family members disputed the time of the events, the mother explained that she had put her child to bed, and then left the house to visit friends on the block. She thought the boy was sound asleep in his bed, when he had actually awakened and walked out the front door. Both the boy’s mother and the maternal grandfather said they knew the neighbor who had found the child and made the report to the children and youth agency … and they were OK that she had reported the case! “Too many children fall through the cracks. We have to look out for each other,” the grandfather observed. The judge and social workers agreed that the young parent needed supports, but that her children were safe and well. OK with a child neglect report against you? In all my years in child advocacy, I had never heard such a refreshing response. we've been busy4th Annual Child Advocates Golf Classic A sunny, 70-degree day greeted 132 golfers as they played in our 4th Annual Golf Classic at Huntingdon Valley Country Club. Ricky, a former medically needy client, greeted each guest with a big smile. His grin lit up NBC10 News that evening as he shared his story with Philadelphia. Ricky was born without complications, but suffered severe brain damage when his mother left him unattended in the bath. Consequently, Ricky developed cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and mild paralysis. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia referred Ricky’s case to Child Advocates' Social Worker Chandra Palmer and Volunteer Attorney Karen Buck, current Executive Director of the Senior Law Center. Ricky’s mother was charged with criminal negligence and mandated to receive mental health treatment. Once her counseling was complete, she moved south, leaving Ricky in medical foster care. Ricky’s numerous medical needs required vigilant advocacy! His Child Advocate team coordinated special needs services, educational assistance, and more advanced medical housing. As Ricky grew up, his social worker, Chandra Palmer, continued to advocate for him. When Ricky turned 21, she became his legal guardian. Chandra is one of Ricky’s best friends. He laughs often when she’s around. Today, Ricky is 27 and doing well! He loves attending the Golf Classic and can often be seen with a putter in hand. Our Golf Classic raises critical funds for children like Ricky. With the generous contributions of our 50 sponsors, we raised $112,135 for our Project for Medically Needy Children. Thank you! The Renewable Energy Business Network (REBN) joined us this year in support of our work. REBN enables business professionals with an interest in energy efficiency to link up and promote the growth of clean and green resources. David Lincoln, managing partner of Element Partners, was our guest speaker and provided an exceptional overview of cleantech investing. Thank you to Philadelphia’s renewable energy community for building a better future for our kids and community! Enjoy our photo highlights of the Golf Classic. Everyone had a terrific time! Cooking Up Justice Competition The vault in Del Frisco’s Steakhouse delighted hundreds of Philadelphians eager for the city's first legal cook off! Judge Frank Cervone and others sampled dishes from the exceptional competitors, including the Passover Chicken from winner Donna Lee Jones of Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky PC and her son, James, and the Crab and Bacon Mac & Cheese from 2nd place chef Carol Nelson Shepherd of Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig. Mike Jerrick of Fox29 News' Good Day Philadelphia emcee’d the competition, which aired that night. Child Advocates sincerely thanks The Legal Intelligencer for bringing this culinary competition to Philadelphia and for designating us as the charity recipient. Interested in cooking legal style? Check out this cook book! Child Advocates' Volunteer Attorney Training During National Pro Bono Week, more than 100 attorneys joined our Dependency Law Training! Participants learned how to handle a child abuse case, with breakout sessions on LGBTQ youth representation, child advocacy in domestic relations cases, parent representation in dependency law, and behavioral health advocacy. We encourage all who attended to become a volunteer lawyer for our kids! For more information, contact Jodi Schatz: jschatz@advokid.org, 267-546-9228. Missed this training? Not a problem. what's coming up Contact toydrive@advokid.org for more information. Our Holiday Toy Drive is an important part of our mission to mend the shattered lives of our children. Through your kindness, our youngsters know that the world can be a good place and that someone cares for them. For more information, click here Looking ahead to 2010? Annual Benefit Reception & Auction
The Philadelphia Bar Association
Reducing Caseloads To Create Better Outcomes
Following our Board of Directors' 2007 strategic plan, Child Advocates has succeeded in right-sizing social workers’ caseloads from 80 to just under 65 children at any one time, to create better outcomes for these children in crisis. Reduced caseloads allow social workers to focus on child-centered practices and approach each case from a “whole-child representation” model, advocating for clients in educational, health and behavioral health matters, as well as permanency and victimization issues. Additionally, Child Advocates staff has worked to reduce case duration from an average of 3 to 2 years, allowing Child Advocate teams to ultimately serve more clients with reduced caseloads. Our ideal caseload will eventually be 55 children per staff social worker to continue improving our kids’ outcomes.
A. Upon graduating from Villanova University School of Law, colleagues suggested to me that if I was interested in pro bono work I should incorporate that interest immediately as a practicing attorney, as it is more difficult to do so as the years go on. I researched various pro bono opportunities and thought that Child Advocates would be a good fit in light of my background and areas of interest. I participated in the Child Advocates training during my first month as a practicing attorney, and a few months later, received my first case. Child Advocates was well-organized, making it easy to volunteer. After being trained, I was paired with a social worker and consulting attorney who offered me their experience and expertise. I felt immediately supported while being given the autonomy to advocate for my client. Additionally, my former law firm has a Child Advocates' practice group, which is comprised of Child Advocates' volunteer attorneys who meet monthly to discuss dependency law and challenging cases. Morgan Lewis also has a Child Advocates practice group and leader available to assist with obtaining new cases or identifying case coverage for members, when needed. Both firms strongly encourage pro bono service with Child Advocates, among other public-interest groups. + Learn more I was immediately drawn to Child Advocates’ model. I called Child Advocates’ Managing Attorney at the time, Merrilee Weiss. Although I told Merrilee that I hadn’t provided direct services in 20 years, Merrilee told me not to worry - I would be a terrific volunteer. Her enthusiasm was contagious! I joined Child Advocates as a Volunteer Attorney in 2003. With the mentorship of Rebecca Baehr, Esq., I discovered that Merrilee was right – I enjoyed volunteering and didn’t feel that my time in policy and away from direct practice diminished my ability to advocate for kids! + Read morenew additions We welcome outstanding additions to our Board of Directors and Staff!
Staff
+ Learn more about these talented individuals donate nowDonate Now! These uncertain times continue to put Philadelphia’s abused children at greater risk. Legal and social service advocacy are critical tools to rise beyond tough times and ensure that our city’s future generation is healthy, educated, and successful! Contribute to the United Way! We’re donor option #00535. Thank you! You are changing our children's stories. Child Advocates needs YOUR VOTE! JP Morgan Chase has teamed up with Facebook to ask fans, "Which charity matters to you?"
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