Concerned over making decisions 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. So successful was this Seattle program that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the U.S. Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Today more than 900 CASA programs are in operation, with 62,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers. CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocate. The mission of Carroll County CASA, Inc. is to provide carefully screened, trained and supervised volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in juvenile court until a safe, permanent home is assured.