About Us
Our History
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) was founded by juvenile court Judge David Soukup in 1977 in Seattle, Washington. The idea came to him when he became frustrated that children in the foster care system were not represented in the same manner as the parents and governmental agencies. Judge Soukup believed that specially trained volunteers, whose only role was to advocate for the best interest of the child, could give judges better insight into the facts not provided by the arguing parties. The idea caught on and more than forty years later, CASA is continues to have a growing presence across the country. In Texas alone, there are 74 CASA programs.
Our Vision
In order to achieve our vision, CASA of Milam County is guided by the following values:
COLLABORATION
We collaborate with public and private programs and other stakeholders to effectively and creatively carry out our mission.
INTEGRITY
We are committed to honoring our commitments and adhering to the highest professional standards. We will act responsibly and respectfully toward the communities we serve.
STEWARDSHIP
We operate for a common purpose, with careful and responsible management of all the financial and human resources we have been entrusted to use to advance the mission of the organization.
RESPECT
We commit to treating all stakeholders with respect and celebrating diversity in all of its forms. We will strive to be inclusive and welcoming.
SERVICE
We pursue excellence in everything we do by providing the best advocacy for abused and neglected children.
Our Mission
The mission of CASA of Milam County is to work on behalf of at-risk children in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody in Milam County helping to:
- Increase public awareness of Child abuse and neglect and community support for the prevention of child abuse and neglect;
- To recruit, train, and empower members of the community to advocate for abused and neglected children in CPS care;
- Decrease the occurrence of child abuse in the community; and advocate for children at-risk of child abuse and neglect.