The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program was created in 1977 to

make sure that the abuse and neglect that these children originally suffered at

home doesn’t continue as abuse and neglect at the hands of the social services

system.  A CASA worker is a trained community volunteer who is appointed by a

juvenile court judge to speak for the best interest of children brought before the

court because they have been deprived of proper care.

Each year over 460,000 children in the United States are thrust into court through no

fault of their own.  They  might be victims of violence, psychological torment or 

sexual abuse.  Others have been neglected or even abandoned by their own

parents.  All of them are frightened and confused. 

Often these children also become victims of this country’s overburdened child

welfare system ¾ a complex legal network of lawyers, social workers and judges

 who frequently are too overburdened to give thorough, detailed attention to each

 child who comes before them.  The consequences can be severe.