CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, who are trained to represent the best interests of children in juvenile abuse and neglect court cases. CASA is a local, nonprofit organization in communities all across the nation. Since CASA’s national inception, CASA volunteers have helped more than two million children find safe, permanent homes.

CASA of East Tennessee, Inc. was established in 1986 in Knox County when Judge Carey E. Garrett became aware of a growing nationwide CASA movement responding to the needs of Juvenile Court Judges for assistance in abuse and neglect cases. He believed that a CASA organization in Knoxville could assist the juvenile court system in our area through gathering critical information about the lives of the children within the system. Since then, we’ve been working daily to fulfill our mission to improve the lives of abused and neglected children through trained volunteers who advocate for a safe, permanent, loving home. The goal of our intervention is to represent the best interests of each child we serve.

CASA of East Tennessee, Inc. is a member of the network of the National CASA Association.