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| Last updated on December 20, 2007 |
The mission of the Dependency CASA Program is to assist the Juvenile Division of King County Superior Court by recruiting and training community volunteers to represent the best interest of allegedly abused and neglected children involved in dependency proceedings. The primary obligation of this representation is to independently investigate the circumstances of the children and to formulate recommendations for an appropriate placement and service plan for the present situation as well as long-term.
Description:
The Dependency CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program is established and operates under the authority of the King County Superior Court.
History:
The Dependency CASA Program, formally known as the Guardian ad Litem Program was started in 1977, in the Juvenile Division of King County Superior Court. The program reflects the vision and experience of the now retired Honorable David W. Soukup and the direction of the former Program Manager Carmen Ray-Bettineski.
Judge Soukup, who served for 14 years as a King County Superior Court judge, was experienced, in both Juvenile Court and Family law. From this experience, he believed that children, unlike adults, often did not have effective representation in judicial proceedings. He concluded "... children's needs were not being adequately represented to the court."
To address this problem in dependency proceedings, Judge Soukup envisioned a program of trained volunteers who would become directly involved in the legal system for the purpose of investigating and advocating on behalf of children, alleged to be abused and/or neglected. These volunteers would ensure that the court would have confidential "eyes and ears" for each child.
One hundred community volunteers became active during the first year of the program's operation. They implemented Judge Soukup's vision with such success that the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges recognized the format of the Seattle program as a national model.
In 1979, the Council's Children in Placement Committee coined the phrase Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA for short, as a comprehensive method of designating trained volunteers serving as Guardians ad Litem. As many court jurisdictions throughout the country began adopting the Seattle model, a National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association was formed in 1981, with Carmen Ray-Bettineski serving as president.
In 1983, a non-profit corporation, Friends of the Guardain ad Litem Program, was formed to accept donations and grants to assist GALs in advocating for abused and neglected children.
The CASA Program, which provided volunteer advocates to children who were subjects of custody and visitation disputes, received wide acclaim and was founded by King County as a separate program in 1985.
On June 1, 1999, the Guardian ad Litem Program announced its intention to become known as the Dependency CASA Program. This name change took place because there has been increasing confusion, for a number of years, regarding the work of volunteer GALs and paid GALs. During this transition "CASA/GAL" will be used in many instances to designate volunteers in Dependency Court.
Today, the Dependency CASA Program, under the leadership of Program Manager Linda Katz, has approximately 380 volunteers who serve the court in 1500 cases each year. The volunteers are supported by a professional staff, which in addition to the Program Manager includes Assistant managers, legal council, legal assistants, and secretarial personnel.
A number of private law firms provide volunteer (pro bono) attorneys to represent CASAs at trials. The three firms who fund this service are Davis, Wright, Todd, Riese, and Jones; Perkins, Coie, Stone, Olsen, and Williams; and Bogle and Gates.
The quality advocacy that the CASAs of King County have established for representing abused and neglected children has set high standards for CASA Programs across the country. The Seattle program and the individuals who have contributed to its development have been recognized nationally and have received numerous awards.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (206) 296-1493
Address:
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1401 East Jefferson Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98122
This location is handicap accessible
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.metrokc.gov/kcsc/depcasa.htm
Directions:
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The office is located across from Juvenile Court on the corner of 14th and Jefferson. |
Miscellaneous Information
| Liability |
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No
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| Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers? |
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No
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| Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18? |
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No
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