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In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, observed a recurring problem of too little information in the courtroom upon which to base life-changing decisions about the safety, permanency and well-being of children. He raised funding to recruit and train community volunteers to obtain information and speak on behalf of children in court. In 1977, a CASA pilot program was formed based on Judge Soukup’s idea. In 1982, the National CASA Association was established to direct CASA’s emerging national presence. There are almost 900 CASA programs with over 59,000 CASA volunteers. Over 2 million children have been served since CASA was founded in 1977. About 70% more children need a CASA volunteer.

In 1988, Georgia CASA began as a demonstration project of Kids of Georgia Need Volunteers, Inc. In 1989, two pilot CASA programs in Georgia were formed. In 1992, Georgia CASA gained independent, nonprofit status and began transitioning local CASA programs into independence. Georgia CASA currently has 47 affiliated programs that recruit and train volunteers to advocate for the safety, permanency and well-being of abused, neglected and abandoned children involved in juvenile court deprivation proceedings. In fiscal year 2007, over 9,000 children were served by over 1,800 CASA volunteers. 47 CASA programs serve 120 counties and 44 of the 49 judicial circuits.

www.gacasa.org

The Metro Atlanta CASA Collaborative (Metro Atlanta CASA) was formed in 2004 when Georgia CASA, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb and Clayton County CASA programs banded together to launch a cooperative campaign designed to recruit, train and retain a CASA volunteer force large enough to meet metro Atlanta's growing needs, and make CASA volunteers the rule - not the exception - in child abuse and neglect cases.

Last year alone, more than 6000 children residing in the Metro Atlanta CASA Collaborative counties were in the state’s custody as a result of abuse and/or neglect. Over 1100 of those children were fortunate enough to have a CASA volunteer assigned to their case to ensure their best interests were being met. Unfortunately, this is only about 20% of the children in metro Atlanta who need a CASA volunteer to ensure they don't fall through the cracks of an overburdened system.

Through cooperation and implementation of new ideas, Metro Atlanta CASA is committed to heightening awareness of CASA as a viable solution to the problem of abuse and neglect in our community, building overall program capacity, and dramatically increasing the number of children who have a CASA volunteer advocating on their behalf.





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REFERRAL FORMS		In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, observed a recurring problem of too little information in the courtroom upon which to base life-changing decisions about the safety, permanency and well-being of children. He raised funding to recruit and train community volunteers to obtain information and speak on behalf of children in court. In 1977, a CASA pilot program was formed based on Judge Soukup’s idea. In 1982, the National CASA Association was established to direct CASA’s emerging national presence. There are almost 900 CASA programs with over 59,000 CASA volunteers. Over 2 million children have been served since CASA was founded in 1977. About 70% more children need a CASA volunteer. www.nationalcasa.org In 1988, Georgia CASA began as a demonstration project of Kids of Georgia Need Volunteers, Inc. In 1989, two pilot CASA programs in Georgia were formed. In 1992, Georgia CASA gained independent, nonprofit status and began transitioning local CASA programs into independence. Georgia CASA currently has 47 affiliated programs that recruit and train volunteers to advocate for the safety, permanency and well-being of abused, neglected and abandoned children involved in juvenile court deprivation proceedings. In fiscal year 2007, over 9,000 children were served by over 1,800 CASA volunteers. 47 CASA programs serve 120 counties and 44 of the 49 judicial circuits. www.gacasa.org The Metro Atlanta CASA Collaborative (Metro Atlanta CASA) was formed in 2004 when Georgia CASA, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb and Clayton County CASA programs banded together to launch a cooperative campaign designed to recruit, train and retain a CASA volunteer force large enough to meet metro Atlanta's growing needs, and make CASA volunteers the rule - not the exception - in child abuse and neglect cases. Last year alone, more than 6000 children residing in the Metro Atlanta CASA Collaborative counties were in the state’s custody as a result of abuse and/or neglect. Over 1100 of those children were fortunate enough to have a CASA volunteer assigned to their case to ensure their best interests were being met. Unfortunately, this is only about 20% of the children in metro Atlanta who need a CASA volunteer to ensure they don't fall through the cracks of an overburdened system. Through cooperation and implementation of new ideas, Metro Atlanta CASA is committed to heightening awareness of CASA as a viable solution to the problem of abuse and neglect in our community, building overall program capacity, and dramatically increasing the number of children who have a CASA volunteer advocating on their behalf. www.metrocasa.org