History of CASAHow CASA Began ….In 1974, concerned about the staggering numbers of children in foster care, the US Congress passed the "Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act," which provided financial assistance to states for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The legislation included a requirement for that assistance: mandatory appointment of a guardian ad litem (GAL) to represent the abused or neglected child's best interest during the judicial proceeding. An attorney was generally appointed to fill this role. In 1976, Judge David W. Soukup of Seattle,  Washington, began to look
for alternative ways to
implement the law and ensure that the child's best interests would be
consistently represented. He found that few court-appointed
attorneys
had the time or training to carry on the comprehensive, time-consuming
investigations that were sometimes required. Judge Soukup
decided to
utilize trained community volunteers who agreed to make a long-term
commitment to each child for whom they would serve as guardians ad
litem. This successful program became the pilot for similar
programs
all over the country. How CASA of Florence/Lauderdale County began ….  A community needs assessment conducted in February 2002 indicated that there were 150 abuse/neglect cases in the Lauderdale County juvenile court each year. Further, that there were 307 child abuse cases handled by the Lauderdale County Department of Human Resources. Twenty-three members of the Lauderdale County community came together to form a Board of Directors. The group established a fundraiser, the Grand Ole Opry, and the funds from this event initiated the work of a local CASA organization. An Executive Director was hired, training classes for Volunteer Advocates were held and Judge Larry Mack Smith began assigning cases in 2002. Be the difference in a child’s life. Be a CASA. |