Michelle was born at St. Christopher's Hospital addicted to drugs and suffering from a number of serious health issues including hearing delays, a cleft palate and other facial abnormalities. To keep her growing at a normal rate, she received formula via tube feedings. After a year and a half, Michelle's surgeries were complete and she was finally able to eat and drink orally.

During her time in the hospital, Michelle's mother refused voluntary services for her drug addiction and the court appointed Child Advocates to Michelle's case. Michelle was assigned to our Project for Medically Needy Children where the staff attorney and social worker team applied valuable knowledge and experience to address her serious and chronic medical needs. Child Advocates immediately realized that Michelle's condition far exceeded her mother's capacity to care for her, and advocated for Michelle to live with her aunt and uncle upon her release from the hospital.

While Michelle's biological parents continued to have problems with drugs and incarcerations, her aunt and uncle demonstrated their love and prowess as caregivers, having adopted her older sister years prior.  The whole family even joined Michelle in learning sign language. With family love and support, along with weekly in-home therapies, Michelle has made surprising strides. Her doctors have deemed her a "miracle baby," with an improvement rate that has exceeded all expectations!

Child Advocates fought hard for Michelle, engaging in a challenging termination of parental rights and ensuring that she received all medical care and support services. We also moved for adoption by the new family. Because of strong advocacy, Michelle is not only safe, she is in great health and united with her best friend--her sister!

Executive Director Frank Cervone leads a presentation on mandated reporting of child abuse and changes to the Child Protective Services Law during a training for staff of over 100 at Child and Family Focus on August 21st in Trappe, PA. 

Mark Your Calendars for the Following Upcoming Trainings!

"How To Handle A Child Abuse Case," Volunteer Training Workshop is on Wednesday, October 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute CLE Conference Center at the Wanamaker Building, 10th Floor, Philadelphia. Register HERE.      

The Center for Excellence in Advocacy  has been selected to present their training "Vicarious Trauma and Attorney Burnout: Maintaining Effective Representation in the Midst of Client Crisis," at the Annual Public Interest Law Day. The event is scheduled for December 10th, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Pennsylvania Bar Institute CLE Conference Center.  

Registration details will soon be available on pbi.org.      

Erin Coltrera joined Child Advocates as a Social Worker in June after completing graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania.  She earned her Bachelor's degree in Accounting at Washington and Lee University and initially intended to pursue a career in non-profit financial management. However, after working in a domestic violence shelter during her senior year Erin decided to change paths and work directly with children and adults in need of help.

As a Community Legal Services (CLS) Intern funded by the prestigious Samuel Fels Fund, she gained experience in family advocacy for parents. After completing that summer internship, Erin stayed with CLS as a Social Work Intern. She then went on to earn two degrees from Penn: a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Science in Social Policy.    

She was drawn to Child Advocates because it felt like the right mix of policy, advocacy and client-based work, and will fulfill her desire to help change the story for children.  Erin says the most rewarding part of her job is being able to create space for children's voices to be heard since they are the most vulnerable part of the dependency system. In addition to managing her social work caseload, she is engaged in a research project on the issue of child trafficking sex and labor.

In her free time, Erin enjoys attending Phillies games, renovating her new home in South Philadelphia and walking her dog, Robie.  Erin also revealed she was a volunteer firefighter in college.