Volunteer to Be The Voice For a Child

What is a Guardian ad Litem?
•A GAL is a trained volunteer who is appointed by a district court judge, and is paired with an Attorney Advocate to ensure that the child's rights & best interests are before the court.
•Ad Litem means "this litigation" or "for this case". The GAL is appointed to represent the child only for the duration of the Court's involvement and does not serve as the child's legal guardian.
•The GAL serves as the child’s voice in Court. Duties include exploring all facts relevant to the case, making recommendations to the Court, and monitoring the case so that it will move through the Court and Social Services systems without unnecessary delays.
•The GAL is the only person whose sole task is to focus on the best interest of the child.

What are the qualifications?
• A sincere concern for the well-being of children.
•You must be objective and non-judgmental and be able to interact with people of various educational, economic and ethnic backgrounds.
•You must complete 30 hours of training to ensure that you are ready to carry out your role as an informed and knowledgeable child advocate.
•You must pass a criminal background check.
•You should be able to commit about 8-15 hours a month to working on your assigned case.
•There is no special education or experience required to be a Guardian ad Litem.

What does a GAL do?
•A Guardian ad Litem investigates, writes reports, speaks to the judge, and testifies in court. This requires about 8-10 hours per month.
•The GAL has a great responsibility to protect a child from further victimization by placing the child in perhaps multiple, unfamiliar and temporary placements.
•The child needs someone to advocate quickly for a safe and permanent home. In the end, a Guardian ad Litem enjoys the undeniable personal fulfillment of ensuring that a child is not forgotten.

How to become a Guardian ad Litem:
•Call The Guardian ad Litem office at 704-878-4208
•We will send you an application & return it to the GAL office.
•Our office will schedule an interview with you, review your application and references, conduct a background check.
•Potential volunteers complete a fun and flexible 30 hours of training and are then sworn in by a judge.
•Upon accepting your first case, you will be assigned a mentor to assist you in your first few cases, and will ensure you are fully capable of handling a case on your own. Our Program Supervisors are a constant help to you there after.

Thousands of abused, neglected or abandoned children in our state need a voice in court. Every year in North Carolina, thousands of children are trapped in hopeless homelife situations.

Even when they are removed by law enforcement, far too many of these children have no one to speak on their behalf in court. These abused, abandoned and neglected children face a judicial system that does not hear what is in their best interests.

That is why Guardian ad Litem exists. And that is why Voices For Children works tirelessly on its behalf.

You could become a Guardian ad Litem. If you are 19 or older, have common sense, good judgment and a heart with the room to help one of these children, you could become a Guardian ad Litem. This volunteer work is vitally important to creating a successful future for the child you help.

I would like with this site inform caring people who have a desire to speak in court for Abused and Neglected Children what being a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is all about. If you have arrived here, it is because you are at least curious about how you could help an abused or neglected child... and you can. Throughout North Carolina, there is a great need for more volunteers to be a voice for the children who find themselves the subject of court cases. Could you step in and speak up for a neglected or abused child in court? Could you spare a few hours a week to help build a child's future?
If so, you could become a Guardian ad Litem volunteer. This year in North Carolina an increasing number of children will need someone to give them a voice and see that their best interests are served. Because the number of cases has grown tremendously in recent years, more volunteers are urgently needed.
A Guardian ad Litem is appointed by the juvenile court to make recommendations to the judge regarding a safe place or special services. You can champion an abused or neglected child and prevent them from suffering future harm. http://www.nationalcasa.org/
For Iredell & Alexander County call (704) 878-4208 classes starting soon .
For Mecklenburg County Charlotte call (704)-417-1958