[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 168 (Thursday, November 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2305-E2306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            TRIBUTE TO CASA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 1, 2007

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I am enormously proud to rise in 
celebration of the 30th anniversary of one of Seattle's finest start-
ups, one that is valued throughout the country today. You may initially 
think I am speaking of Boeing, or UPS, REI or Starbucks. Rather, I 
refer to the CASA movement--Court Appointed Special Advocates.
  Every year more than 800,000 children enter the court system after 
being removed from their homes and placed in foster care. They have not 
committed any crime, instead, they are simply child victims of abuse, 
neglect, or abandonment. It is up to a judge to decide their futures--
what healing services they will receive, where they should live and 
with whom, and if they can be safe. In order to reach such critical 
decisions, judges need to be fully informed about the child's 
situation.
  In 1977, King County Superior Court Judge David W. Soukup of Seattle, 
Washington believed that he was not getting all of the facts he needed 
to make well-informed decisions affecting the futures of children 
coming before him in child welfare cases. The judge convened a meeting 
of community representatives to discuss his idea for recruiting citizen 
volunteers to do the detailed research that judges could not. Judge 
Soukup envisioned trained volunteers who would speak to the children 
and their teachers, therapists, foster parents, and family members, 
then write reports for the court including the volunteer's 
recommendations for the child's best interests. This vision was the 
impetus for the first CASA program.
  Before coming to Congress, I sometimes had occasion to testify as an 
expert witness in Judge Soukup's courtroom. He was both a thorough and 
caring jurist. He explained that he founded the CASA movement because 
he wanted someone in his courtroom whose only job was to provide a 
voice for the children. Caseworkers are obligated to their agency, the 
parent, and others. An attorney appointed as the child's legal 
representative cannot testify about privileged, and potentially 
harmful, information that the child may have revealed. Attorney 
guardians ad litem simply could not afford the time to do a thorough 
investigation of all the facts, interview significant adults in the 
child's life, and advocate for the mental and social needs of the 
child.
  Judge Soukup's innovative vision has grown to become a strong and 
respected national program of advocacy for children. It is estimated 
that CASA volunteers serve 30 percent of children who are in foster 
care and court systems because of abuse and neglect. This year marks 
the 30th anniversary of the founding of that first CASA program in 
Seattle--it is also the year in which the two millionth child will be 
served by a CASA volunteer.
  Many of my colleagues are equally proud and supportive of the 
remarkable work that CASA volunteers perform within their districts to 
assure that a child's needs are recognized and addressed by the courts 
and social service systems. There are more than 900 CASA programs in 49 
states. Nearly 60,000 CASA and volunteer guardians ad litem served 
220,000 children in 2006 alone.

  Several studies demonstrate the effectiveness of CASA advocacy for 
children. Judges appoint CASA volunteers to their most difficult cases, 
in which children face an even higher-than-normal factor of risk. In 
spite of the difficulty of their cases, children with a CASA volunteer 
are substantially less likely to spend more than three years in foster 
care or ever to re-enter foster care. A greater number of targeted 
services are ordered for children and their families when the child has 
a volunteer. In four out of five cases, all or almost all of the CASA 
volunteers' recommendations are accepted by the court. Judges today 
identify a great need for more volunteers to be assigned to children's 
cases.
  I thank Judge Soukup for his inspiration. He must feel enormously 
rewarded by the knowledge that his idea has helped provide better 
outcomes for two million children today. Congratulations to the King 
County Dependency CASA Program on this 30th anniversary. I applaud the 
National CASA Association for its leadership in expanding that single 
program in Seattle to more than 900 offices in 49 states today. I 
salute Washington State CASA, also located in Seattle, for undertaking 
the largest expansion of CASA within the state. Finally, I congratulate 
and thank the hundreds of thousands of citizens who have served as CASA 
volunteers over these last 30 years for their steadfast advocacy to 
assure that the interests

[[Page E2306]]

and needs of the children remain the focus of our child welfare and 
court systems.

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