In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom: 

 

"In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courthouse at the end of the day and you said, 'I've done my best; I can live with this decision,' he explains. But when you're involved with a child and you're trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child's growth into a mature and happy adult, you don't feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You wonder, 'Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all of the different things? Is this really right?"

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To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, Judge Soukup came up with an idea that would change America's judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers. Implemented in Seattle in 1977, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in that first year. National recognition and grants resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program in courts across the country.

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On April 22, 1985, President Ronald Reagan presented the National CASA Association with the President's Volunteer Action Award for "outstanding volunteer contribution, demonstrating accomplishment through voluntary action." In August of 1989, the American Bar Association officially endorsed the use of CASA volunteers to work with attorneys to speak for abused and neglected children in court.

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In July of 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized the expansion of CASA with the passage of the "Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990" (P.L. 101-647), so that a "court-appointed special advocate shall be available to every victim of child abuse or neglect in the United States that needs such an advocate." The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect included utilization of CASA and GAL volunteers among critical first steps recommended to bring the "national emergency" of child abuse and neglect in America today under control.

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Today the National CASA Association represents nearly 1,000 CASA and guardian ad litem programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia -- recruiting, screening, training and supporting 98,000 volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom and other settings.

 

CASA of Tulare County was created in 1984 by concerned community members, led by local attorney Richard Baily and juvenile court referee George Thurlow. Retired nurse Ruth Voss (Thomas), Visalia Volunteer Bureau Micki Robertson, and Attorney Richard Bailey were the first board of directors and signed the articles of incorporation. Jan Sirkin was the first executive director and oversaw the first class of 20 volunteers who were sworn in on Wednesday, May 2, 1984 by The Honorable Jay Ballantyne. Kiwanis supported the newly established program by allowing it to use its bank account to accept donations before CASA of Tulare County obtained its 501(c)(3) status.

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To date 15,000 Tulare County children have been served by volunteers who worked over 300,000 volunteer hours. 

 

As a certified CASA program, CASA of Tulare County adheres to formal standards set by the National CASA Association and is required to pass a quality assurance to maintain membership in the CASA network.