Livingston – The Sixth Judicial District CASA/GAL Program, Inc. of Park and Sweet Grass Counties has just been awarded certification by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association. This certification recognizes that the local CASA/GAL is in compliance with National CASA’s high standards for quality child advocacy.
According to Michael Piraino, CEO of the National CASA Association, “The National CASA quality assurance process is very rigorous, and reflects our commitment to ensure every child we serve has the most powerful volunteer advocate working on their behalf. This certification says, “The Sixth Judicial District CASA/GAL Program, Inc. has demonstrated to us a strong capacity to provide excellent services to the abused and neglected children within their community.”
The Sixth Judicial District CASA/GAL Program, Inc. was started accepting cases January 2004. Currently all children with cases have been assigned a CASA who works hard to ensure the child’s best interest is protected. When speaking on our local CASA programs volunteers, Wm Nels Swandal said they are, “dedicated advocates who are genuinely concerned for the children and are generous with their time. They spend hours investigating each case and compiling thorough reports which are essential in determining the best interest of the abused and neglected children.”
About the National CASA Association
In 1976, concerned over making decisions decision about abused and neglected children’s lives without sufficient information, a Seattle judge conceived the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court, helping to ensure that they will live in a safe and loving environment. So successful was the Seattle program, that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA/GAL with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today, there are more than 950 National CASA member programs across the country, with more than 70,000 men and women serving as CASA or Guardian Ad Litem volunteers.
