What is A Guardian Ad Litem?
Below one of our local Guardian Ad Litems shares her personal story of how she became a guardian and a little bit about what the commitment looks like.
About a decade ago I read an article that described volunteering as a Guardian Ad Litem for children involved in the Foster Care system and the idea piqued my interest. I had never heard of a Guardian Ad Litem (or GAL) before and when I realized what an important role they play in the outcome of Foster Care cases I decided to find out more and possibly sign up to volunteer. After doing some research though, I realized that being a GAL was too intensive, both in time and emotion, for me at that point in my life; I was pregnant and hormonal, had a crazy toddler and my husband was deployed overseas. I put the idea on the back burner and determined to look into it again when I felt more able to “handle it.”
You’re probably wondering what exactly a Guardian Ad Litem does (side note- they are also known as Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASAs, in other areas of the country). The national CASA/GAL organization website (https://nationalcasagal.org/) describes it this way-
“CASA/GAL volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children’s best interests. They stay with each case until it is closed and the child is in a safe, permanent home. We serve children from birth through the age defined by state statute as the limit to youth remaining in care. Volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators and service providers to ensure that judges have all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child.”
You might ask “Isn’t that the job of the Department of Social Services (DSS) case worker? To figure out the best-case resolution for the kids they’re working with?” Well, ideally, yes that would be their goal. But with enormous caseloads, little support and frequent job turn over because of burn-out, DSS caseworkers and supervisors are currently ill equipped to meet that goal, in my humble opinion. That’s where the GAL volunteer comes in to play.
So, fast forward 10 years, three more kids, seven moves later (no kidding), a husband who still has a crazy job and I’m finally able to “handle” volunteering for the GAL program- Ha! I’ve realized there’s never going to be an ideal time to volunteer in this capacity, it’s just waiting for God to say “Ok, now is the time” and faithfully following that call.
Here’s an example of the GAL volunteer process;
First, I receive an email with a case that needs a GAL, I can accept it or not (I usually take cases with younger children because that’s where I feel I can best serve. I’ll be honest, I avoid cases with teenagers...)
Once I accept a case I am officially added to the court proceedings through the Clerk of Court and I start my work. I get case notes from the GAL office, view the DSS case file, start collecting contact information for all the parties involved in the case and call a LOT of people to talk about the case. Calling complete strangers to talk about intimate details of their lives and their children, who have been removed from their custody, can get really hard; I dread some of those conversations.
Next, I set up a meeting with the children and I try to get a feel for how they’re doing physically and emotionally. If the children are old enough, I ask them what they want to happen in their case. Most of the time they answer how any kid would, they miss their parents (or caregiver) and they want to go home. If you ask them to describe that “home” they long for though, it’s rarely a realistic picture of where they came from and usually an idealized version where everyone is healthy, happy and stable. I write the children’s exact words of hope into my court reports because it makes that child more real to the judges who see cases just like theirs all day, every day; they are not just a docket number, they are a little boy or girl who matters and whose life will be effected by the decisions the adults around them make. After my initial meeting with the children, I will continue to see them at least once a month until the case is closed.
My court report is written next and includes all the information I’ve gathered in an objective format, except at the very end of the report where I write my informed, subjective opinion about what I think is in the best interest of the children. Usually, I find that I’m in agreement with DSS about how a case should go, but sometimes we disagree and all I can do is state what I believe in my report and trust that God will take care of the rest. I know that God has a plan for the children I serve as a GAL and He loves them more than anyone involved in that case, so I can trust that His will is good and I just need to keep working in the capacity He has called me to. Hopefully at this point in the case the children have a permanent home or plan for quickly getting to that goal and I continue advocating for them until that happens.
So there you have it. Volunteering as a Guardian Ad Litem is hard and rewarding and sometimes sad and always a blessing. The children I serve as a GAL probably won’t remember me when they’re older, but hopefully their lives will be better off because I gave my time and energy to their case. I continue to pray for each and every child that I’ve been involved with through the GAL program and I thank God that I read that article 10 years ago and that I’m finally getting the privilege of serving such amazing children as a Guardian Ad Litem.
-Kate
(If you want to know more about being a GAL/CASA check out this website- https://nationalcasagal.org/advocate-for-children/be-a-casa-volunteer/ )