The CASA/GAL model was founded by a judge, and judges have endorsed it from the start.
The CASA/GAL model was founded by a judge, and judges have endorsed it from the start.
Judge David Soukup was concerned about his ability to make decisions relating to the lives of children who’d been neglected or abused, without sufficient information about them.
He had the idea of using carefully screened and trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of children in court. In 1977, the first CASA/GAL program was born, in King County, Washington.
We have a long-standing partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), and are supported by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators.
An effective relationship between each program and the court remains essential to our ability to provide effective volunteer advocacy for children.
In a national survey, judges said:
Family Court Judge M. Brent Hall shares his perspective on the value of CASA volunteers in his courtroom and the impact they have on children and families. Judge Hall works closely with CASA of the Heartland in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases (NCJFCJ)
PDFThe Role of the Child Advocate (NCJFCJ and National CASA/GAL)
Video(National CASA/GAL)
View(California Judges Association)
PDFWhat Is In a Name? (NCJFCJ)
pdf