ASA is the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program. CASA is a child advocacy organization that seeks to provide trained volunteers to speak for abused and neglected children who are the subjects of juvenile court proceedings. CASA volunteers advocate for safe, permanent homes for children. CASA began in 1977 in Seattle, Washington by Judge David Soukup who saw the need for more information on cases involving children in his court. The social services and legal systems were overburdened and CASA was created to assist in obtaining information and providing follow up monitoring of court orders.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), an Executive Branch agency within the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security, provides comprehensive planning and technical and support services for the criminal justice system to improve and promote public safety in the Commonwealth. DCJS is responsible for planning and carrying out programs and initiatives to improve the functioning and effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole. Virginia receives federal funds from the U.S.