CASA in Colorado

Currently, there are 16 CASA programs in Colorado, serving 16 of the 22 Judicial Districts. From 1981-1984, CASA was part of a national demonstration project in conjunction with Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center. The focus was to find the best way to provide effective legal representation for children. The first CASA program to incorporate in Colorado, CASA of Larimer County, was established in 1984. The next four programs, Voices For Children in Boulder, Advocates for Children in Arapahoe County, Denver CASA, and CASA of Colorado Springs (now CASA of the Pikes Peak Region), followed in short order, and by 1989 the state had five CASA agencies. Also in 1989, the Executive Directors of these five programs formed Colorado CASA as a statewide coordinating agency. The next expansion of the network of CASA programs in Colorado was CASA of Pueblo in 1995. In 1996, Colorado's legislature passed a statute formally authorizing CASA services in Colorado. This law, part of the Colorado Children's Code, includes a description of the CASA volunteer role, and provides authorization for CASA volunteers to work in specific cases, called Dependency and Neglect. In 1997, two additional jurisdictions, Weld and Mesa Counties, were established with CASA programs. CASA of the Continental Divide joined the network in 1999. Three more programs were established in 2000, CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, CASA of Adams County (later to become CASA of Adams and Broomfield Counties) and CASA of the 7th Judicial District, located in Montrose. Heart of Colorado CASA, located in Cañon City, was created in 2007. Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA, located in Steamboat Springs, was created in mid-2008. In 2011, CASA of the Ninth, was formed in Glenwood Springs. The most recent program to be created is CASA of the Southwest (formerly CASA of the Four Corners) in 2016, which was incubated by CASA of the 7th JD and is now located in Durango.