Minnesota’s Guardian ad Litem (GAL) and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs have undergone significant changes over the past five decades. Originally, the CASA volunteer program was introduced to ensure every child in court had an advocate. However, a shortage of volunteers meant that many children went without representation.
To address this, the state began hiring staff GALs to supplement the volunteers and meet federal requirements. By 1996, the program operated with a modest budget and relied on a mix of 400 volunteers and a handful of staff to manage cases for about 10,000 children.
Over time, the number of abuse and neglect cases increased dramatically, and the program’s budget grew to accommodate more paid staff. By 2017, the budget had grew to $33 million, supporting 213 full-time employees and 263 volunteers. Despite these investments, the number of children needing advocacy remained high. In recent years, new management moved to eliminate the volunteer program and rely on staff GALs leaving only 12 remaining volunteers by 2024.
This shift toward a staff-only model has contributed to hundreds of children without advocates, highlighting ongoing challenges in balancing resources, staffing, and the critical need for child advocacy in Minnesota’s courts.
Fortunately, the MN State GAL board has directed management to restart the volunteer program and the 2025 MN State legislative session has approved funds to support the program with proper supervision and training.
CASA Minnesota (also known as CASA MN) is a nonprofit organization based in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area (serving Hennepin and Ramsey counties). Our mission is to support, train, and retain volunteer Guardians ad Litem (GALs)—court-appointed advocates who represent the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect in the child protection system.
These volunteers play a critical role in court proceedings, ensuring that children’s educational, medical, living, and familial needs are represented and prioritized—even in a system that can often be overloaded and under-resourced. CASA Minnesota emphasizes matching volunteer advocates to children with whom they share cultural backgrounds or experiences, fostering stronger, more meaningful advocacy connections.
Additionally, we run CASA Cares grants, providing up to $500 per year per child to support enrichment opportunities—such as summer camps, music lessons, sports equipment, or cultural activities—giving foster youth moments of joy and development that aren’t covered by government aid. To date, they’ve distributed over $180,000 in direct grants to children across the state.
Learn how you can contribute here
