Office of the Child Advocate of Delaware

Office of the Child Advocate of Delaware Safeguarding the welfare of Delaware's children. Allegations of child abuse or neglect cannot be reported via social media comments or private message.

The Office of the Child Advocate's (OCA) mission is to safeguard the welfare of Delaware's children through advocacy, education, collaboration and evaluation with a vision of safe and resilient children with supportive families

Social media is a fast-paced medium, however, this page is not monitored 24/7. Allegations of child abuse or neglect may only be reported through the Division of Family S

ervices Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-292-9582 or online at iseethesigns.org. Additionally, if a child or family is in crisis, please call the 24-hour Mobile Response Stabilization Service (child crisis line) at 1-800-969-HELP. This account is maintained and monitored by members of the OCA team. They will review comments regularly and reserve the right to hide comments that contain the following:
• Hate speech;
• Profanity, obscenity or vulgarity;
• Nudity in a commenter’s profile picture;
• Defamatory statements;
• Name-calling and/or personal attacks;
• Misleading or false information;
• Commercial content that promotes or solicits services or products;
• Content promoting political organizations;
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly;
• Personally identifying, sensitive and/or private information;
• Language or content suggesting or encouraging illegal activity; and
• Other content that the OCA team deems inappropriate. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. We monitor this page but are not responsible for content generated by users. Comments and content posted on this page may be public records and may be subject to disclosure. We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time. Continued use of this page following the posting of any modification signifies acceptance of modification.

🎄✨ SAVE THE DATE! ✨🎄Delaware Mortgage Bankers Association is hosting its annual Holiday Jingle benefiting the Office of ...
08/28/2026

🎄✨ SAVE THE DATE! ✨🎄

Delaware Mortgage Bankers Association is hosting its annual Holiday Jingle benefiting the Office of the Child Advocate!

Join us December 10th for an evening of holiday cheer, community, and supporting Delaware’s children experiencing foster care. ❤️

More details coming soon. Mark your calendars and plan to Jingle with us for a good cause! 🎁🎶

OCA’s Child Advocate, Kelly Ensslin and Oversight Director, Sara Scheid attended the Home Visiting and Division of Famil...
08/06/2026

OCA’s Child Advocate, Kelly Ensslin and Oversight Director, Sara Scheid attended the Home Visiting and Division of Family Services Partnership Meeting this week in Dover. The Division of Public Health brought together professionals from across the state to learn more on the variety of Home Visiting Programming offered within Delaware and how collaboration with DFS can benefit families and their future successes. Kelly also serves as the Chair of the Home Visiting Community Advisory Board.

"Peggy Winton is my nomination for the CASA Spotlight for the month of July 2026Peggy is originally from San Antonio, TX...
07/28/2026

"Peggy Winton is my nomination for the CASA Spotlight for the month of July 2026

Peggy is originally from San Antonio, TX.

Peggy retired as the CEO of an information management association.

Peggy had heard about CASA years ago and made a vow that she would get involved as soon as she retired. She has been a volunteer for many different organizations since she was a teenager. The CASA program seemed like one of the most challenging opportunities that she could aspire to.

Peggy has been a CASA for 2 years at this point.

Peggy states that her greatest moments as a CASA was getting sworn in by Judge Jones. She remembers getting choked up as she realized the immense responsibility that was being entrusted to her.

Three interesting facts that Peggy shared with us are that Willie Nelson once handed her a Lone Star beer when she got back stage at one of his concerts. She was privileged to fly on the Concord at the same time as then Lady Diana Spencer. She boarded last, and was put in a makeshift private row at the front of the plane. Peggy's favorite music genre is Latin jazz." -Clark Huffman

Please join us in congratulating Stephanie Beckel on her new role as Training Director at the Office of the Child Advoca...
07/09/2026

Please join us in congratulating Stephanie Beckel on her new role as Training Director at the Office of the Child Advocate!

Stephanie has been a valued member of OCA for the past four years, serving in our Services for Youth Advancement Unit, where she supported youth with foster care experience through the Driver's License and Insurance Program and the Scholarship Program. Before joining OCA, Stephanie dedicated her career to education, serving as both a teacher and a charter school principal. Her experience, passion for serving children and youth, and commitment to excellence make her a tremendous asset to our team.

Congratulations, Stephanie! We look forward to the leadership and vision you will bring to OCA and CPAC’s training program.

OCA staff were proud to celebrate and recognize our amazing youth at the 2026 Destined for Greatness Youth Recognition C...
07/08/2026

OCA staff were proud to celebrate and recognize our amazing youth at the 2026 Destined for Greatness Youth Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, June 25th. This special event celebrates the 2026 graduates while honoring their hard work, perseverance, and accomplishments.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to Delaware Children's Department - DSCYF for hosting this incredible event.

Congratulations to all of our Destined for Greatness honorees and graduates!

Our offices will be closed today in observance of Independence Day. Our regular office hours will resume Monday, July 6t...
07/03/2026

Our offices will be closed today in observance of Independence Day. Our regular office hours will resume Monday, July 6th.

06/29/2026

Children can easily get their hands on prescription or illicit drugs if left accessible. Whether it's a misplaced pill bottle or an unsecured medication cabinet, safely storing drugs in locked cabinets, using child-resistant packaging, and keeping medications out of sight and reach can prevent curious hands from accessing harmful substances.
Here's how to keep drugs OUT OF REACH:

~Put it Up, Not Down: Store items up high to prevent access.
~Store it Out of Reach or Lock it Tight: Keep medications locked away in a lockbox or out of reach.
~Teach Safety Measures: Educate family and visitors on safe storage practices.
~Prevent Ingestions: Keep track of medications and promptly return them to secure storage.

Learn more:
https://outofreachde.com/

06/26/2026

Protecting our loved ones from a drug ingestion or exposure is crucial, particularly for children, whose natural curiosity may lead them to inadvertently consume medications. Ensuring that medications are stored securely and out of reach, coupled with ongoing education about the dangers of ingesting drugs, is essential in safeguarding our families and preventing avoidable tragedies.

Together, we can prevent drug ingestions by putting safety first:
https://outofreachde.com/

Stop by and say hello to the Office of the Child Advocate and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program at the DO...
06/25/2026

Stop by and say hello to the Office of the Child Advocate and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program at the DOJ Community Youth Resource Fair today at Kirkwood Park!

Address

900 N King Street
Wilmington, DE
19801

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(302) 255-1730

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