The Florida Guardian ad Litem Office is legal representation for children who have been abused and neglected in Florida. A judge appoints the Guardian ad Litem Office, which then assigns Guardians ad Litem to each child. Each child is represented by a multi-disciplinary team that includes a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, a certified Child Advocate Manager, and hopefully a trained volunteer.
The volunteer works as a part of the child advocacy team. The volunteer builds a relationship with the child and gathers information needed to make sound, common sense recommendations to the judge, who ultimately decides what is in the child's best interests. Of course, the child's safety is always paramount. We also consider the importance of familial connections, friendships, and the child's wishes and desires.
Independent research shows that children with a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and reenter foster care. Children who have exited the dependency system often say that if it were not for Guardian ad Litem, they do not know how they would have made it through such a traumatic experience
More than 600 children are part of the dependency system in Citrus, and Hernando Counties, and not every child has a volunteer. Something as a community we need to change.
If you are interested in making this cause your cause, become a Guardian ad Litem volunteer. No experience is necessary, and all training and support are provided. Contact Diana Gisonni at 352-812-6971 or e-mail her at diana.gisonni@gal.fl.gov. To learn more about the Florida Guardian ad Litem Office, visit www.guardianadlitem.org.
Original source can be found here.
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