In 1977, a judge in Seattle was asked to settle a child custody battle without any information about the parents involved, their resources, history with the law, and a host of other important bits of information that would be critical in deciding which adult was best equipped to handle parenthood. It was shortly after this experience that he help found the first chapter of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to provide children in the court system a neutral trained volunteer to become their eyes and ears in a process that would determine their future.
Fast forward to early 1990 in Talbot County. Another judge was facing the same problem of having no serious information on the family involved in the case and quickly formed a similar CASA chapter to help kids in the Mid-Shore region navigate the family court system.
From that moment on, CASA of the Mid-Shore has grown to a caseload of almost 100 children a year and an almost equal number of volunteer legal advocates working in Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Dorchester and Kent County.
In her interview with the Spy, CASA’s first and only staff director, Robin Davenport, talks about CASA’s unique role in our community’s legal system and its special volunteers who form long term relationships with their clients as they use the courts to ensure the best possible outcomes for these young people.
This video is approximately eight minutes in length. To learn how to volunteer please use this link
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