The first CASA program began in 1977 in Seattle, Washington under the direction of Juvenile Court Judge David Soukup. The concept involved volunteer community advocates to be the voice for abused and neglected children and to represent their best interests in court proceedings. Today, there are nearly 1,000 CASA programs throughout the United States in forty nine states.

The Clayton County Juvenile Court judges felt they needed more information about the abused and neglected children to make better decisions concerning the children. Clayton County CASA was started in 1997 under the direction of Juvenile Court Judge Martha K. Glaze and has been a community resource since that time. Clayton County CASA is a court program housed within the Clayton County Juvenile Court. Clayton County CASA has an advisory board with is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and uses fundraising to support the program needs.

Clayton County CASA is affiliated with Georgia CASA and National CASA.

Mission Statement of Clayton County CASA

The Clayton County CASA program provides advocacy and intervention to abused and neglected children through commitment to the following program values:

•Competent professional staff
•Supportive environment for recruitment, training, and retention of volunteers
•Opportunities for volunteers to form caring, committed relationships with child victims and their families
•Provision of concise, meaningful reports containing thoughtful, well-reasoned recommendations that assist the Court in meeting the needs of the child.

CASA is committed to these values equally in order to achieve its goal of providing a meaningful and effective volunteer for every child found to be dependent in Clayton County.

 

CASA Board, Staff, and Volunteer along with Judge Soukup (center)
at the National CASA Conference in March 2017.