CASA Youth Advocates Inc. began in 1970 as Youth Advocates Inc., an organization of volunteers in Delaware County working to help young people in trouble or at risk of getting into trouble with the law.  Working one-on-one with young people, this group of volunteers strived to improve community attitudes toward troubled youths and advocated for more comprehensive youth services. 

In 1990, the organization could no longer sustain itself and sought to create a new, volunteer-based model to help Delaware County youth. Over a period of two years, the volunteers worked with the National CASA Association to establish a CASA program in Delaware County and, in 1992, CASA Youth Advocates Inc. was incorporated and accepted its first volunteers and its first cases. Since then (1992), CASA has served 947 children with 405 trained volunteers.

CASA added its Educational Decision Maker service to its overall volunteer program in 2012. Through it, the court appoints the volunteer to champion those with special education needs by legally empowering them to make all educational decisions on the child’s behalf.  

In 2015, CASA expanded its reach to Chester County, establishing a formal relationship with the Chester County dependency court to serve children in that county as well as Delaware County. CASA has already been appointed to five cases.

CASA champions abused and neglected young people in our region's heavily burdened child welfare system.

Filled with well-meaning individuals and organizations, this system takes on thousands of young people throughout Delaware and Chester counties each year. It is massive, complex and stretched to its limit. Children or youths assigned to it have already suffered unspeakable pain, and they stand a good chance of experiencing even deeper trauma and getting "lost" in ways that jeopardize their lives.

Enter CASA. Their name means Court Appointed Special Advocate. Judges charge their volunteers to watch over a child or youth between birth and age 21 from the moment they appear before a court. Against a backdrop of hope and despair, their volunteers – members of the community just like you – journey with these young people, giving them a voice and stewarding their future.

I am for the child. This maxim gets at the heart of their mission and work:

CASA serves as that single, stable adult that a young person needs through every step of their case. They are that trusted pillar and confidant on their path. They alleviate their fear, confusion and overwhelm while listening to their sadness.
They observe and copiously document the web of relationships, circumstances and services that impact the child or youth as they move through the system.
CASA advocates for the young person based on what they observe. Their reports become a linchpin that provides context and perspective on a child or youth’s circumstances.
They champion. They make sure that a child or youth's future includes a stable, safe home and what they need to grow and flourish.

Due to their unique role, CASA dramatically impacts the system and the youth who navigate it.

Mission & Vision

Their mission is to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are involved in the family courts. Through it, they envision a bright future for all abused and neglected children that begins with a permanent and nurturing home combined with opportunities to learn, thrive and build resiliency. CASA does this by promoting and supporting quality volunteer advocacy from people within the communities they serve.