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The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

CASA of McLennan County is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977 when Judge David Soukup in Seattle decided he needed to know more about the children whose lives were in his hands. His solution was to ask community volunteers to act as a “voice in court” for abused and neglected children. These Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASAs) provided him with the detailed information he needed to safeguard the children’s best interests and ensure that they were placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The program was so successful that it was copied around the nation.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children’s best interests. They stay with each case until it is closed and the child is in a safe, permanent home. They serve children from birth through the age defined by state statute as the limit to youth remaining in care.
Volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators and service providers to ensure that judges have all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child.  
Their best-interest advocacy is driven by the guiding principle that children grow and develop best with their family of origin, if that can be safely achieved. Most of the children they work with are in foster care, but some are with their family of origin. And, most children who leave foster care do so to return to their family.
CASA of McLennan County has continued to serve abused and neglected children in McLennan County by providing trained community volunteers to speak up in the best interest of the children they serve.