The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, is a nationwide endeavor that recruits and trains volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and/or neglected children during family court proceedings. In their role, CASAs gather all information possible from theparties involved in foster care cases. Each month, they spend time with their court-assigned children/teens to build a relationship and fully understand the children’s wishes for their futures so that they (the CASA) can be their voice in court. CASAs are unique figures in the foster care field because they have no agenda, no ulterior motives, and typicallyare only assigned one case at a time. The advocates’ only focus is on the children/teens, and they look at all information gathered through the lens of what is best for them. While caseworkers, judges, and even foster families might change, a CASA can be a consistent friend for a youth in foster care and maintain a relationship to possibly last a lifetime

CASA of Jefferson County's history is outlined below; it is one of a complementary suite of programs under the Resolution Center of Jefferson and Lewis Counties, Inc., whose roots go back to the early 1980s.
1977
- CASA was founded by the Honorable David Soukup, Seattle, Washington.
1987
- CASA was started in Jefferson County by the Honorable Richard V. Hunt (retired), under the umbrellaagency of the Community Action Planning Council.
1991
- CASA of Jefferson County (CASAJC) was placed under the non-profit umbrella of the Resolution Centerof Jefferson and Lewis Counties, Inc., formerly known as the Jeff-Lewis Mediation Center.
2006
- With an expansion to Lewis County the program name became CASA of Jefferson and Lewis Counties.
2006
- Section 44 of the Rules of the Chief Judge of New York State Unified Court System were established.These rules set the requirements for CASA program certification, Office of Court Administration funding anddefined the role of the CASA volunteer in “providing thorough information about the health, safety, well-beingand permanency plans of children and families to the court, the parties and law guardian”.
2016
- CASAJC founded the Family Visitation Program and began offering supervised visitation services.
2018
- The New York State Legislature passed legislation, which provides statutory legislative recognition ofCASA and codifies the 2006 Court Rules. The signing of the legislation by the Governor further established ourstate government’s support for CASA and strengthened the organization’s ability to provide needed help for ourmost vulnerable children in family courts and foster care systems.
2019
- Office of Victims Services child crime victim compensation application service was added to CASAJC.

Kaleigh Alberry
- Service Coordinator, Jefferson County
Karen Autrey
- Caseworker, Jefferson County
Colleen Mayne-Butler
- Transition/Transportation Special Projects Specialist, Community Action Planning Council
Jamie Chase
- LMHC, Family Counseling Service of NNY

Judith Klementowski
- Retired, Watertown Center Manager, Community Action Planning Council
Melissa Koffs, Esq.
- Owner, Koffs Law Firm
Ashley Lyon, Esq.
- Attorney, McClusky Law Firm
Angela Wayte
- Healthy Families Supervisor, North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council