History of CASA

National CASA

In 1977, a Seattle Superior Court Judge named David Soukup was concerned about trying to make decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children without enough information. He conceived the idea of appointing community volunteers to speak up in court about what was in the best interest of the child. He made a request for volunteers; 50 citizens responded, and that was the start of the CASA movement. News of the success of Judge Soukop’s experiment spread like wildfire and CASA programs sprang up all over the United States.

Currently, there are over 1,000 CASA programs throughout the United States and CASA volunteers have helped more than 2 million children find safe, permanent homes in which they can thrive. CASA programs across the country are known by several different names, including Guardian ad Litem, Child Advocates and Voices for Children. Since the inception of CASA advocacy, volunteers have helped well over 1,000,000 children find safe and permanent homes.

CASA in NJ

The first CASA programs in NJ were established in 1986 and 1987 with Essex County and Morris County respectively. CASA of NJ was created in 2000 to address the need to expand CASA programs throughout the state. In addition to expanding the CASA model into all counties, CASA of NJ provides support to community-based CASA programs in NJ, primarily through funding, training, public education, and technical assistance. Additionally, it provides a forum for local CASA programs to share resources, improve their programs, and unify CASA’s voice on behalf of children in foster care statewide.

CASA in Monmouth County