CASA HISTORY

Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) is a national program founded in 1977 in Seattle, Washington by Judge David Soukoup.  Judge Soukoup conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court.   This program was so successful soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the US Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA programs with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.

Northern Essex County CASA program came into existence in October 1991 with an executive board of 16 put in place and the support of a local juvenile judge and a local state representative.  The first case was assigned in May 1992 out of the Lawrence Juvenile Court.  In the fall of 1997, Northern Essex County CASA expanded to include the Newburyport Juvenile Court  and in July 2000, CASA became part of Family Service, Inc. 

Northern Essex County CASA is partially funded by the Essex County Juvenile Court.  The rest of the funding comes from grants, fundraisers, and donations.   This allows our program to serve 88 children and carry approximately 45 cases.