The Guardian Ad Litem Program represents children who appear in the state courts. These children have not committed any crime but are victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment. The program is comprised of volunteers who represent children in the courts, making sure they do not become victims of "the system". Each volunteer works with one or more children involved in the judicial system and social services agencies, becoming familiar with there lives, while representing the interest of each child before the court or social services agencies involved. Specifically, a volunteer acts in the interest of each child in five different...
Ad Litem staff; and have a genuine concern for a child"s welfare. No prior experience is necessary as each volunteer goes through 48 hours of training, ranging from juvenile justice, child development, and child abuse and neglect. Professional full-time staff are also available for volunteers" questions and concerns. Time commitment will vary, depending on the child"s needs and the volunteers own schedule. Efforts are made to match a volunteer with time constraints with a child who needs less representation. As lifestyles and family priorities change in our society, there is a growing demand for volunteers to represent these children.