The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program was created in 1977 in Seattle, Washington by Judge David W. Soukup, who was overseeing cases where a child or children were removed from their homes and placed in the state's custody because of abuse or neglect. While attorney "guardian ad litems" were appointed to these children, they were generally too busy to conduct the in-depth investigation that was required. Social workers responsible for the cases were often already spread too thin to devote extensive time to each child's case.  Click here to read more about the history of Voices for Children.