CASA of Carroll-White County is a court-based organization which advocates for the best interest of abused and neglected children who are involved in the Carroll and White County court systems by recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
We are the voice of abused and neglected children in Carroll and White County
CASA is central to fulfilling society’s most fundamental obligation by making sure a qualified compassionate adult will advocate for and protect a child’s right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to thrive and succeed in the security of a loving family. We believe that all children deserve the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing home.
In 1977, a judge in Seattle, Washington, established the first CASA program. He created a venue to train the community volunteers who advocated in court for abused and neglected children. This program was so successful that 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 program offices are in operation with trained women and men serving as CASA volunteers.
Our local Carroll County CASA program began in 2011. Carroll County Superior Judge Kurtis G. Fouts sought help from Attorney Abigail Diener and the Indiana State CASA office to establish an advocacy program for abused and neglected children. In 2012, the program was certified by the Indiana Supreme Court.
In the spring of 2019, White County Circuit Court Judge Jason A. Thompson, Judge Kurtis G. Fouts, and Abigail Diener created the dual county program. The Carroll-White CASA program was certified by the Indiana Supreme Court in May of 2019.
Abigail Diener serves as the director and attorney for Carroll-White CASA program, and the program is presently served by more than forty volunteer advocates.