Celebrating the Crucial Role of Social Workers in the SCCA Model
By: Beth Perez
March was National Social Work Month – a month to recognize and celebrate the profession of change agents, advocates and activists who support individuals, families and communities in the promotion of human rights and dignity. The Support Center for Child Advocates (Child Advocates) would be nowhere without our social workers. Child Advocates has spent the last four decades serving children who have experienced abuse or neglect by recruiting, training and supporting hundreds of volunteer attorneys each year and pairing them with master’s level social workers in order to zealously advocate for the safety, health, education, family permanency, and access to justice for the children they represent.
While Child Advocates is a legal organization, it is committed to the ideals, ethics, and values of the social work profession, in addition those of the legal profession. Child Advocates’ staff includes 21 master’s level social workers, including three social work supervisors, a director of social work, and two of our 11 staff attorneys, who also have received social work degrees.
The Child Advocates volunteer model is one that seeks to enhance representation for our clients by providing our volunteer attorneys with the knowledge, support, and training of our staff social workers and consulting staff attorneys at every step of representation from intake to case closing. This includes a focus on building a curriculum to train and continue to educate our volunteers on a variety of trauma-informed topics and issues that impact our child clients and their families including, but not limited to, our monthly brown bag series, child development training series, and various trainings involving challenging structural racism.
To recognize and honor our Child Advocate Social Workers (“CASW”), we asked our current volunteer attorneys about their experiences working with their social work partners.
“[CASW] Sofia Dobel makes the child feel listened to and respected and always demonstrates to the child that she is the top priority at that moment. I am continuously impressed by Sofia and how well she does her job and how easy she makes this challenging work look. I can say with 100% certainty that working with her has made me a better advocate.” – Allison Beatty, Esq., employed by Vanguard.
“This is my first Child Advocates case and [CASW] Tahlia Maron has really taken the time to collaborate with me and help me navigate the beast that is the Family Court system. Love working with her!” – Lindsay N. Magrann, Esq., Law Offices of Thomas J. Wagner, LLC.
“The impact that [Jasmin Taylor, CASW] has on the lives of the people she works with is immeasurable, and her dedication and compassion are truly admirable. From providing support and guidance to those in need, to advocating for our marginalized clients and promoting social justice, her work is essential in creating a more equitable and inclusive society. Her commitment to her clients and her profession is a testament to her character, and I want to express my gratitude
for the positive impact that has had on me, our clients, and the world.” – David Rovner, Esq., McMenamin & Wing LLP.
“[Kelly Sagastume, project manager of Project PROTECT] is incredible with our client, always trauma centered but relatable and honest. Kelly’s attention to detail and follow-through should be taught to all of the [service providers]. I feel so grateful to have Kelly by my side as we advocate for our client. When everyone else is lost in issues, Kelly never loses sight of what is most important – our client.
Being a social worker is not an easy career choice, but Kelly is an amazing attribute to the profession and a valued ally to me.” – Robyn Goldenberg, Esq.
If you are interested in becoming a Child Advocates’ volunteer attorney, please reach out to Director of Intake and Pro Bono Beth Perez at bperez@sccalaw.org to ask about our On-Demand Pilot Program and the steps to becoming a pro bono volunteer.
Beth Perez, LSW, Esq. is the Director of Intake and Pro Bono for the Support Center for Child Advocates.