TOMS RIVER – A group that works with children of abuse are expecting to see a rise in cases throughout the county and the state when schools finally reopen.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ocean County 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” removed from home due to abuse or neglect.
“The number of child abuse cases in our region has decreased significantly since March as children have not been in school and around important individuals in their lives who are mandatory reporters,” said Ariane Yazdan, Executive Director of CASA of Ocean County. “The residual effects from this pandemic within the foster care world will be with us for years to come.”
Sharing data from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (formerly DYFS), domestic violence reports in New Jersey dropped 38 percent – from 7,357 to 4,498 – at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April compared to the same months last year. Similarly, domestic violence arrests were down by 21 percent.
Schools were supposed to reopen in September but Gov. Phil Murphy has given them the ability to be 100 percent remote.
For schools that will have in-person instruction, Yazdan and CASA of Ocean County volunteers are expecting to see a spike in reporting child abuse.
For the school districts that will go to 100 percent virtual instruction, some abuse cases will continue to go unfound.
“CASAs are the eyes and ears within our family court system, and provide our judges with independent and objective information about abused and neglected children. It’s a matter of time before we see what the true domestic violence numbers are, and then how that relates to children and youth in the home,” Yazdan said. “Thankfully, our staff is still here, still working hard with our dedicated CASA volunteers to make sure the important work is getting done for those already in care. We are prepared for what is to come as we fully anticipate a flood of more foster children into the system.”
For more information about the group or how to volunteer, visit CasaOfOceanCounty.org.
