The Allen Superior Court’s family relations division is merging two of its child advocacy programs, which it says will “create a unified and stronger advocacy program for Allen County’s children.”
Allen County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) or an attorney with Guardian ad Litem (GAL) have historically been used as court-provided advocates for abused or neglected children.
These two programs have been paired to form the Allen County Office of GAL/CASA, according to a release from Allen Superior Court on Monday.
The goal of the merger is to ensure greater face-to-face contact between CASA advocates and children in GAL-support cases, something the court says had been difficult in the past due to limitations within GAL services. Now, the new office can assign CASAs to GAL cases.
Judge Charles Pratt, who worked on the change with CASA Director Nancy Springer over the last 18 months, said, “It is essential that Allen County’s child advocates speak with a unified voice for the best interest of the child,” in a statement Monday.
All GALs and CASAs are appointed by the court in Child(ren) in Need of Services (CHINS) cases and involuntary termination of parental rights (TPR) cases.
