Mission

The mission of the DeKalb County CASA Program is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are under the protection of the juvenile court. As a CASA Volunteer, you seek to assure safe and permanent homes for each child as quickly as possible. DeKalb CASA accomplishes this mission by training and supporting citizen volunteers who serve as advocates for individual children while maintaining proper ethical behavior, respect, and confidentiality.

History

The first CASA program began in Seattle, Washington in 1977 as the idea of Judge David Soukup. This one program initiated a movement, which has since grown to include over 900 programs in all 50 states across the nation.

The DeKalb County CASA Program was started in 1990 and served the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit. It was originally founded by a Child Advocate Attorney and operated as a part-time program directly under the supervision of the Child Advocate Office for nearly 7 years. It was staffed by MSW interns as their practicum site. In 1997, with the approval of a grant from National CASA, the program became full time.

DeKalb County CASA operates under the umbrella of the Child Advocate Network, Incorporated as a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. We are members of the National CASA Association, Incorporated and an affiliate of Georgia CASA, Incorporated.

The growth since our earliest days has been extraordinary and the role of our CASA Volunteers has been an integral part of that growth.