As part of the annual nationwide American Bar Association Family Reunification effort, Legal Services of New Jersey hosted its 2023 Family Unification Day on Friday, June 23, at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. The event honored families and their heroes, who have successfully prevented removal, or been reunified with their children after involvement with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP).
LSNJ’s Chief Attorney of the Family Stability and Preservation Project Sylvia L. Thomas offered the opening remarks and introduced keynote speaker, The Honorable Lisa James-Beavers, Superior Court of New Jersey, Family Division, Burlington County Vicinage. The Honorable Lisa James-Beavers set the tone of this year’s event, in line with this year’s fatherhood theme, with her narration of Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays.” She humanized the important role of a father and centered her speech around celebrating fathers and reimagining how we can serve fathers in the child welfare system.
This year’s video, Fighting to Father—Recognizing the Important Role of Fathers in the Child Welfare System, highlighted the experiences and unique challenges of two 2023 Unification Day Honorees, fathers Morris and Ramee. The event concluded with an award ceremony and speeches from the honorees and their heroes. Their stories were shared with a room full of attorneys, caseworkers, judges, honorees, heroes and many other important players in the child welfare system. Many heroes praised the efforts of the honorees for reuniting with their children. Congratulations to all the honorees, who have successfully remained united or been reunited with their children.
2023 Family Unification Day
Previous Family Unification Day Videos
Keynote Speeches from Prior Years
Other Presentations and Speakers
About National Family Reunification Month
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