Support Center for Child Advocates Newsletter!

Project YES! (Youth Educational Success)


Through our "whole child" model of representation and social work advocacy, The Support Center for Child Advocates (Child Advocates) not only secures client safety and protection but seeks to improve all aspects of our clients' lives, including their educational needs. 

In an effort to address complex educational issues and ensure our young clients have what they need to succeed in school,  Child Advocates  developed our Project YES! (Youth Educational Success)  in 2011. Led by staff attorney Colleen Swim, the Project addresses gaps in learning, achievement, and opportunity that our young clients faced in the classroom and community. 


(Colleen Swim, staff attorney for Project YES!)

Here are five facts about Project YES! you may not know...

1. Project YES! works in conjunction with our  Center for Excellence in Advocacy to provide trainings internally and externally in the community, with topics ranging from trauma informed educational advocacy to teaching special education policy and procedure.

2. Two-thirds of our clients have special education or medical needs. This number has led to numerous in-house trainings to provide our staff with the necessary tools to implement the most up-to-date and best care practices.

3. Last year Project YES! served 124 child clients, and this year we are presently working to address the needs of over 75 clients. At this rate, we expect to serve more than 130 children by the end of the year.

4. Since the Project's inception, more than 600 clients have achieved better educational outcomes, providing positive immediate and long-term solutions.

5. Child Advocates recently received a two-year grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council allowing us to study and address school-to-prison pipeline reentry barriers, that is, systemic problems and practices that result in delays and failures in returning young people to community schools after residential placement.

*Learn more about our Project YES! by clicking HERE. For more information about how you can support the good work of Project YES! please contact Moira Mulroney. 

Young Friends Update


The members of our newly formed Young Friends of Child Advocates are excited to work work with staff on new projects and programming throughout the year. One of the first initiatives will be to help collect and assemble bags of personal hygiene items and school supplies for our clients! As our young clients often move through foster homes and other residential placements, basic care items can easily become overlooked or lost. The Young Friends have taken the lead to help us prepare our clients for any move they face by providing them with some small comforts and personal items that they can call their own. 
 
Please consider donating new, unopened personal care items to aid in our clients' success in their daily lives and at school. All inquiries regarding donations or questions regarding Young Friends of Child Advocates may be directed to Allison Goetz (267-940-1606 or [email protected] ).

Upcoming Trainings




"Pennsylvania's New Truancy Law & Its Impact on Family Court"
Thursday, September 7th from 2:30-4:30pm at Family Court of Philadelphia -15th Floor Conference Room (1501 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19102).  Register HERE .
 
"Aggravated Circumstances and Child Abuse Hearings" Brown Bag Training Series
Thursday, September 28th from 12:15-1:30pm at Support Center for Child Advocates (1617 JFK Blvd, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103).  Register HERE .
 
"Children and the Law: 2017 Update"
Thursday, October 5th
Morning Session: 8:30 - 11:00am at Cozen O'Connor (One Liberty Place, 1650 Market Street, Suite 2800, Philadelphia, PA 19103)
(*the morning session is specifically geared toward Child Advocates Volunteer Attorneys)
Register HERE.
 
Afternoon session: 2:30 - 5:00pm at Family Court (1501 Arch St, 15th Floor Conference Room, Philadelphia, PA 19102).  Register HERE.
 
Volunteer Training
Our need for volunteer attorneys is ongoing. To be elegible to take a case, all attorneys must be licensed to practice in PA and must take our training workshop. Our next "How to Handle a Child Abuse Case" Volunteer Training Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25th, from 9:00am-4:30pm at Pennsylvania Bar Institute (The Wanamaker Building, 100 E. Penn Square). Register  HERE.
12th Annual Golf Classic


Sign up as an individual golfer, or grab a friend and make a twosome - we will happily create a foursome with other golfers. You are sure to enjoy a day on the greens at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, the oldest country club in the U.S. AND home to the 2015 PGA Professional National Championship and the 2016 Constellation Senior Players Championship, and host of the 2020 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. It was also just ranked as a top 100 Course in the United States by Golf Magazine!

Not a golfer? That's ok! Join us after golf for the cocktail party from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the beautiful Wissahickon Club House!

Click HERE to help sponsor the event, or register your foursome! 


Thank You

Our deepest thanks go out to the following funders for their most generous support of our work!

Information Technology Project:  The McLean Contributionship

Save the Date


This year, we will be delivering toys to thousands of youth in the Philadelphia area on Saturday, December 16th. More details coming soon! If you are interested in learning how you can participate, please click HERE.



In This Issue
Recent Press
Our Board
Deborah Cohen
President

Jeffrey Sotland
Vice President
Mintzer Sarowitz, Zeris Ledya & Meyers LLP

Barbara Beckman
Secretary
Ballard Spahr

Jeffrey Bagley
Treasurer
Haverford Trust

Dorothy M. Arimond
Brandywine Group, a division of Chubb

Erica Bennett
Independence Blue Cross

Stephen Chawaga
McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter

Erica Rae Cline
Pfizer

Matthew Duncan
Fine Kaplan & Black RPC

David Dzara
Steve Harvey Law LLC

Paul Finigan
Continuum Rehabilition

M. Stroud Hellebusch

Elizabeth Jobes
Spark Therapeutics, Inc.

Sarah Keating
Keating Consulting

Scott Lempert
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll

John McCabe
Glenmede Trust Company, NA

Benjamin Pierce
Vanguard Charitable (ret.)

James Robinson
Gordon & Rees LLP

Carrie B. Rosen
Aramark Corporation

Catherine Rothenberger
Kolsby, Gordon, Robin & Shore

Katie Adams Schaeffer
The Barnes Foundation

Rand Siegel
Key Bank

Shelley Smith
Archer Law

Megan Spitz
Blank Rome LLP

Derek Squire
Comcast Corporation

James Steigerwald
Duane Morris

Marianne Styles
PNC Financial Services Group

Kelley Tate
 
Jennifer Welding
Ellucian

Upcoming Events
Donate Today!
Who We Are
The Support Center for Child Advocates provides legal and social services advocacy to our most vulnerable children. It is our mission to advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect with the goal of securing safety, justice, well-being and a permanent, nurturing environment for every child.
 
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Visit us at www.SCCALaw.org