Mission: Tioga County CASA trains and supports court-appointed volunteers to provide best interest advocacy for children who have experienced abuse and neglect to ensure their right to a safe and permanent home.
Vision: Tioga County CASA believes that every child deserves a safe, nurturing, and permanent home. CASA staff and volunteers provide a voice on behalf of the children in foster care in hopes that these children reach permanency.
Take a hand, take the stand!
Tioga County CASA is one of four new programs, each at a different stage of development, within i'mPACT. i’mPACT stands for I’m Protecting Against Childhood Trauma. Tioga County CASA started two years ago when i’mPACT Founder and CEO, Robin Adams, recognized a need for individualized advocacy for children in the Tioga County dependency court system. Robin’s personal experience as a foster parent and then the adoptive mother of her son, Asa, motivated her to seek the support of the local county court and stakeholders to bring CASA to Tioga County. McKenna Christman was hired as Executive Director in January 2020. Tioga County CASA became recognized as a member in good standing with the National CASA/GAL Association in 2020.
Learn more about i’mPACT.
Pennsylvania CASA
The Pennsylvania Court Appointed Special Advocates Association (PA CASA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 to grow, strengthen, and unite local CASA programs so they can ensure the safety, well-being, and forever home for every abused and/or neglected child in Pennsylvania. To fulfill its mission, PA CASA supports the existing network of local CASA programs, builds new CASA programs and secures resources critical to CASA’s mission. Currently, PA CASA provides training, technical assistance, and continuous quality improvement services to the 21 local CASA programs serving 27 counties. In the remaining 40 counties, PA CASA actively pursues program development. Through statewide advocacy, PA CASA provides resources that make it easier for CASA programs to serve children. PA CASA’s vision is for every abused and/or neglected child in Pennsylvania to have access to the service and support of a CASA volunteer.
For additional information, please refer to the PA CASA website.
National CASA/GAL
Judge Soukup, a Juvenile Court Judge, watched as many parties entered and exited the juvenile dependency courtroom, but he never heard anyone speak strictly on behalf of the child. Inspiration came when Judge Soukup had insufficient information to make a life-changing decision for a 3-year-old girl who had suffered from child abuse. Judge Soukup’s idea of training volunteers to speak up in the courtroom on behalf of a child’s best interests came to fruition in 1977. The first CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program was established in Seattle (King County), Washington, and was endorsed as a model for safeguarding a child’s rights to a safe and permanent family by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. As the program model continued to grow and develop in other states, the National CASA Association was formed in Seattle in 1984. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 CASA programs throughout the United States. The CASA/GAL network has reached over 2 million children since National CASA/GAL’s inception.
The National CASA/GAL Association, together with state and local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every child who has experienced abuse or neglect can be safe, have a permanent home, and the opportunity to thrive.
For additional information, please refer to the National CASA/GAL website.