National CASA

The first volunteer guardian ad litem program serving abused and neglected children was organized in 1977 in King County, Seattle, Washington. In the following years, word of the success of the King County Program spread like wildfire and similar programs were begun across the United States.

Because some statutes required the guardian ad litem to be an attorney, the term CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) was coined to denote volunteers from the local community who had been thoroughly screened and trained to serve as advocates for children involved in Court proceedings.

In 1982 the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, Inc. (NCASAA) was established to serve as an umbrella organization for the growing number of programs across the country. NCASAA provides information networks, technical assistance, research, training and hosts an annual national conference. Membership in NCASAA is open to programs and individuals throughout the United States.

By the end of 2005, 948 CASA/GAL programs existed in 50 states and the Virgin Islands including 720 independently governed local programs, 199 state governed local programs and 46 state organizations. Some 54,847 men and women, CASA volunteers, provided 4.9 million hours to making a lifelong difference in the lives of an estimated 226,204 abused/neglected children.

For more information please visit www.NationalCasa.org or www.CasaNet.org.