History

The History of CASA

​In 1977 a judge in Seattle had a problem. Judge David W. Soukup had to make important decisions about the lives of the children before his court without adequate information. Judge Soukup conceived the idea of training citizen volunteers to be researchers for the court and advocates for the children. He established a pilot program to implement the concept.

The idea spread and the National CASA Association was formed in 1984. It was created to provide advice and program consistency as additional jurisdictions adopted the CASA idea.

​Today approximately 1,000 local community programs exist all across the United States, utilizing the services of more than 70,000 volunteer advocates!

Tennessee law gives judges the authority to appoint a CASA advocate in abuse and neglect cases (TCA 37-1-149). The CASA idea has been endorsed by the US Department of Justice and the American Bar association, among others.

CASA programs were formed in Morgan and Roane counties in 2000 and in Loudon in 2009.

As of October 1, 2023, CASA of the Tennessee Valley has expanded with Cumberland, Overton, and Putnam counties. We are now the largest CASA in the state of Tennessee!  Which will strengthen each of our counties and reach more abused and neglected children in the court system.

From January through April 2026, we worked diligently to build relationships with community leaders, businesses, organizations, and residents to prepare for expanding our services into White and Van Buren Counties. Thanks to these collaborative efforts, on April 22, 2026, CASA of the Tennessee Valley officially expanded from serving six counties to serving eight counties.

Today, we proudly serve children and families in Loudon, Roane, Morgan, Cumberland, Overton, Putnam, White, and Van Buren Counties, allowing us to provide advocacy and support to even more children who have experienced abuse or neglect.