Court Appointed Special Advocates

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes.[1]

Court Appointed Special Advocates
AbbreviationCASA
MottoLift up a child's voice AND I am for the child
Formation1977
TypeYouth organization
Legal statusNon-profit organization
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington
Region served
United States
Websitewww.nationalcasagal.org

In many jurisdictions, CASA are known as Guardians ad litem.[2] In other jurisdictions, the CASA is a volunteer. In both cases, CASA's role is to gather information and make recommendations to the judge in the best interest of the child.[3]

According to National CASA Association, there are more than 85,000 advocates serving in nearly 1,000 state and local program offices in the United States. Each year more than a quarter of a million children are assisted through CASA services.[4]

History

In 1977, Seattle Superior Court Judge David Soukup was faced with making decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children with only the information provided by the state Child Protective Services. Soukup formulated the idea that volunteers could be dedicated to a case and speak for children's best interests.[5] Fifty volunteers responded to his idea, which started a movement that provides better representation[6] for abused and neglected children throughout the United States.[7]

Current situation

Since its founding, CASA programming has grown to cover 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Some state and local agencies receive government funding, while others do not. The National CASA agency relies on pass thru grants from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as well as partnerships with organizations like Jewelers for Children. National CASA then passes grant funding to state and local agencies.

Training

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) can be found in cities all over the United States. Different locations vary on their training process but all advocates are trained to assess a familial situation, a child's opinion, and adequately represent children in court. Typical training consists of 30 hours of pre-service training and 12 hours per year of continuing training.

See also

References
  1. National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association Archived November 11, 1996, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Resources for CASA/GAL Programs".
  3. https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/File/Media/Brochures/d&nweb.pdf
  4. "CASA History".
  5. "What is the CASA Movement?". Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  6. "CASA History". Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.
  7. "Children in court".
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