About CASA of Tulare County
MISSION
CASA of Tulare County speaks up for the innocent children who are victims of abuse and neglect—advocating for their safety and well-being by training community volunteers to represent their best interests and be their voice in court.
VISION
CASA of Tulare County is committed to the goal of providing a dedicated trained advocate for every innocent child entering the court dependency system. CASA will ensure that the child or youth’s basic physical and emotional needs are met and that he or she will have every opportunity available to succeed in school.
VALUES
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Leadership: We listen and learn from our judges and stakeholders. We address the causes of challenges and mobilize resources to remedy challenges.
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Equity: We strive for equity and fair treatment of assigned children and youth and advocate in court to ensure best interests are addressed.
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Inclusiveness: We practice and champion inclusiveness in our organization. We honor diverse strengths, needs, voices, and backgrounds of all children served.
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Accountability: We serve as stewards for our community investors and honor the charitable intentions of our donors to meet current and future needs. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, service, and fiduciary responsibility.
ETHICS STATEMENT
It is CASA’s duty to promote the safety and well-being of the children we serve. We will protect children from abuse and from practices that are emotionally and physically damaging, disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitive or intimidating.
CASA History
In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom:
"In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courthouse at the end of the day and you said, 'I've done my best; I can live with this decision,' he explains. But when you're involved with a child and you're trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child's growth into a mature and happy adult, you don't feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You wonder, 'Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all of the different things? Is this really right?'"
To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, Judge Soukup came up with an idea that would change America's judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children: Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers. Implemented in Seattle in 1977, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in that first year. National recognition and grants resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program in courts across the country.
On April 22, 1985, President Ronald Reagan presented the National CASA Association with the President's Volunteer Action Award for "outstanding volunteer contribution, demonstrating accomplishment through voluntary action." In August of 1989, the American Bar Association officially endorsed the use of CASA volunteers to work with attorneys to speak for abused and neglected children in court.
In July of 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized the expansion of CASA with the passage of the "Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990" (P.L. 101-647), so that a "court-appointed special advocate shall be available to every victim of child abuse or neglect in the United States that needs such an advocate." The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect included utilization of CASA and GAL volunteers among critical first steps recommended to bring the "national emergency" of child abuse and neglect in America today under control.
Today the National CASA Association represents nearly 1,000 CASA and guardian ad litem programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia -- recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom and other settings.
CASA of Tulare County was created in 1984 by concerned community members in 1984, led by Judicial Referee George Thurlow. Today, CASA of Tulare County is a team of 160-plus volunteers, trained and supervised by CASA staff -- serving hundreds of abused, abandoned, and neglected Tulare County children each year. As a certified CASA program, CASA of Tulare County adheres to formal standards set by the National CASA Association and is required to pass a quality assurance review every four years to maintain membership in the CASA network.