Court Appointed Special Advocate
Encyclopedia
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. The program is similar to, but is not a guardian ad litem program. According to National CASA, today there are more than 70,000 advocates serving in 1,018 state and local program offices nationwide.
. Soukup formulated the idea that volunteers could be dedicated to a case and speak for children's best interests.
Fifty volunteers responded to his idea, which started a movement that provides better representation for abused and neglected children throughout the country.
and was a consultant for several global child advocacy programs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes. The program is similar to, but is not a guardian ad litem program. According to National CASA, today there are more than 70,000 advocates serving in 1,018 state and local program offices nationwide.
Mission
The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, together with its state and local members, is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.History
During 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 servicesChild Protective Services
Child Protective Services is the name of a governmental agency in many states of the United States that responds to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as "Department of Children & Family Services"...
. Soukup formulated the idea that volunteers could be dedicated to a case and speak for children's best interests.
Fifty volunteers responded to his idea, which started a movement that provides better representation for abused and neglected children throughout the country.
Leadership
Michael Piraino has served as CASA’s CEO for 13 years, overseeing 30 hour volunteer training programs, building partnerships with many organizations and corporations, a national quality assurance program, and many more duties. As a lawyer, Piraino represented children ad litemAd litem
Ad litem is a term used in law to refer to a party appointed by a court to act in a lawsuit on behalf of another party—for instance, a child or an incapacitated adult—who is deemed incapable of representing him or herself...
and was a consultant for several global child advocacy programs.