Presented By: Christina Harrison, MHS
State of Delaware Family Court
CASA/Statewide Director

1981 seems like a long time ago. In that year Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married, President Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt, and the Voyager II Spacecraft passed Saturn. The outcry for the implementation of child advocacy programs, like CASA, rang out across the states. Early on, leaders of the movement showed that they were acutely aware of key issues that continued to affect the lives and future prospects of children in child protection systems throughout the country. In the state of Delaware, under the direction of the former Chief Judge Thompson, Family Court CASA Program began. All of us, in this 28th year since its inception, owe a debt of gratitude to CASA’s founder, Judge David Soukup, Delaware’s former Family Court Chief Judge Thomas, and to all of the early supporters for the strength of their vision. They understood that the future success of the CASA movement — not to mention the lives of children — depended on careful attention to the quality of our advocacy. The vision has worked well.

The Family Court CASA Program has reached milestones by increasing the number of volunteers and expanding the ability to serve more children each year. But it is not just the number of children served that demonstrates the success of volunteer advocacy. We now know, based on information from a 2006 federal audit, that children with CASA volunteers are substantially less likely to spend more than three years in foster care. This not only benefits kids by preventing them from drifting from foster care placement to foster care placement, but also has financial implications. At a minimum, this great outcome for children saves close to $50 million annually nationwide.

Consider being a Powerful Voice and
Make a Difference in the Life of a Child!
For more information, or to Be the Difference:

Call 302-255-0461
in New Castle County

Call 302-672-1037
in Kent County

Call 302-855-7410
in Sussex County