In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington saw a recurring problem in his courtroom and came up with an idea that would change America’s judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of abused and neglected children; he created Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.

This unique concept was implemented in Seattle as a pilot program in January 1977. In 1978 the National Center for State Courts selected the Seattle program as the “best national example of citizen participation in the juvenile justice system.” This recognition, along with a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation of New York City (one of CASA’s earliest and strongest supporters), resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program in Courts across the country.

By 1982 the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association was formed, and by 1984 the Association received financial support from several significant sources:  the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, under the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; and Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation.

After receiving awards and recognition for outstanding service by President Ronald Reagan, the National Bar Association and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Law Court Judges, the U.S. Congress authorized the expansion of CASA with the passage of the “Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990” (P.L. 101-647), so that a “court-appointed special advocate shall be made available to every victim of child abuse or neglect in the United States that needs such an advocate.”

Today the National CASA Association represents more than 950 CASA programs across the country and is comprised of nearly 60,000 volunteer advocates assisting more than 200,000 abused and neglected children.