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History
The national movement to have the independent voice of child victims heard in court began in 1960s as judges realized that they were making far-reaching decisions about the lives of the children without hearing the unique perspective of the child.
The first volunteer guardian ad litem (GAL) program serving abused and neglected children was organized in 1977 in King County , Washington by Judge Soukup. Following the success of the King County program, similar programs began all over the United States .
In 1982, The National CASA Association, Inc. was established to serve as an umbrella organization for the growing number of programs in the country. National CASA provides information, technical assistance and training to local CASA programs. There are currently over 900 programs in all 50 states.
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In Ohio , Judge Devine formed the first CASA program in 1980 in Lucas County . Since then 32 other Ohio counties have started CASA programs, making a dramatic impact on Ohio 's juvenile court system. Miami County CASA started in 1995 and has since represented hundreds of abused and neglected children. To support and strengthen the local CASA network of Ohio , the Ohio CASA/GAL Association was incorporated in 1993. The Association monitors the statewide implementation of National CASA Association standards of practice and provides training and technical assistance to local programs.
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