About the Child Advocate Program of Pierce County

  • Pierce County’s Child Advocate Program began in 1983 with 6 volunteers and 1 employee.
  • Since that time we have grown to 200+ Volunteer Court Appointed Advocates, 9 Advocate Supervisors and 14 Guardians ad Litem. We are supported by 3 program supervisors, 4 office assistants, 1 case monitor and 1 program attorney.
  • Our volunteers advocate for approximately 300+ of the 1,200 children that we serve.
  • Our goal is to recruit and retain volunteer Court Appointed Advocates so the children in Pierce County can achieve the best possible outcomes from their Dependency case

History of CASA Programs which lead to the development of the Child Advocate Program

The CASA program was begun in 1977 when Judge David Soukup in King County felt that he was not getting good information in Dependency cases. One case sounded like another. Judge Soukup wanted an independent voice for the child, and came up with the idea of volunteer advocates. Since that time, 951 CASA programs have been established in 49 states and the District of Columbia.