Hightstown resident Amy Mansue has witnessed first-hand how critical it is for vulnerable children living in foster care to have an adult looking out for their best interests., As the former president and chief executive officer of Children’s Specialized Hospital, which treats children facing special health challenges, Mansue often met children who had been abused or neglected and were in the state’s foster care system., “I saw up close the health issues that can arise when children suffer the trauma of abuse or are born with disabilities due to parental substance abuse,” said Mansue, who now serves as president, southern region, RWJBarnabas Health. “They need the caring, watchful eye of an adult who has only their best interests at heart.’’, That’s why she will be the honoree for CASA of Middlesex County’s annual fundraiser, Toast 2017, a brunch to be held May 7 at Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick., Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are trained volunteers assigned to individual children or sibling groups in foster care. Their job is to ensure these children get the support and assistance they need while in foster care and to help them find safe, permanent homes as soon as possible, according to Stephanie Brown, director, CASA of Middlesex County., “For CASA, it’s all about the kids,” Mansue said. “Their sole focus is the protection and well-being of these children. It cannot be overstated how important that is. Every other entity in the child protection system has other interests., “It is only through that CASA volunteer that the child is watched over,” Mansue added. “That volunteer acts as a conduit to the other systems these children are involved with.’’, Unfortunately, in 2016, just 21 percent of the more than 600 Middlesex County children in foster care had a CASA in their corner, Brown noted. Children without a CASA are more likely to stay in foster care longer, struggle at school and return to foster care because of repeat abuse, she explained., “Proceeds from Toast 2017 will be used to recruit, train and support more volunteers to serve the hundreds of Middlesex County foster children who, sadly, do not have someone solely dedicated to looking out for their best interests,” Brown said., A Middlesex County native who grew up in Plainsboro and whose parents were both local school teachers, Mansue is keenly aware of the need for all children to have an advocate in their corner. In the 1990s, she served as a deputy commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Human Services, overseeing programs for children and people with developmental disabilities, among other services., “Children in foster care are among the most vulnerable children in the state,” she said. “When I was working at the Department of Human Services, many of these children simply did not have one person dedicated to looking out for them. I came to understand the critical role that CASAs play.’’, In her current position at RWJBarnabas Health, Mansue oversees seven hospitals, including six acute care hospitals, from the Raritan River south, as well as all of Children’s Specialized Hospital’s 12 locations across New Jersey., Brown said that Mansue’s decades-long dedication to improving the health and well-being of New Jersey children led CASA to recognize her many accomplishments., “We truly feel privileged to be able to honor Amy at Toast 2017,” Brown said. “When you have people like Amy being a voice for children at the state level, it is immensely helpful to us achieving our goals of safeguarding children at the local level.’’
