The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is honoring child advocate Judith Horgan, for her service to children and families at the NCJFCJ’s annual National Conference on Juvenile Justice held in Pittsburgh, Penn. on March 14, 2022. She will receive the inaugural Award for Exemplary Service on behalf of Children and Families in the Court System.
This recognition from the NCJFCJ will be an annual award at the National Conference on Juvenile Justice named in honor of Judith Horgan. The NCJFCJ has also established an annual scholarship set-up in her honor.
Horgan is a child advocate who resides in Pittsburgh, Penn. and has a long history of involvement in the juvenile justice system. She founded Child Watch of Pittsburgh in 1992, bringing public awareness to the plight of children in the child welfare system.
“Judith has been instrumental in positively impacting children and families who are going through the court system in Pittsburgh,” said Joey Orduña Hastings, NCJFCJ CEO. “Nearly 400 judges and court professionals safely convene in Pittsburgh for our conference, it is truly fitting to recognize her tireless efforts and diligent thinking to help keep families together and improve children’s lives in her hometown.”
Horgan has organized adoption days to get children into placements in a more efficient manner, led efforts at the state level to increase the number of juvenile court judges and hearing examiners, impacted the move of the family courthouse, introduced video-conferencing to improve efficiencies in court case hearings and instituted a safer environment called Safe Place for cases involving individuals impacted by domestic violence.
She was a recipient of the Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania for her significant contributions to the Commonwealth; and has received the Good Government Awards from the League of Women Voters, United Way’s Volunteer of the Year, the Pittsburgh Foundation Award for innovative contributions in child welfare, and recognition from the Allegheny County Family Court for the establishment of Safe Place.
Horgan has served on the boards of Allies for Children, the Children, Youth & Families Advisory Committee, the Shuman Center Task Force, Nurture PA, the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Beginning with Books, and Allegheny College.
Judith was featured on Pittsburgh CBS. See the segment here.