The Florida Guardian ad Litem Office is legal representation for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned in Florida. A judge appoints the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office, which then assigns a multi-disciplinary team that always includes a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, a child welfare professional and hopefully a trained volunteer or pro bono attorney from the child's community if one is available.
The Guardian ad Litem Volunteer is part of the child's 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 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.
We are in critical need of Guardian ad Litem Volunteers and Mentors. No experience is necessary, and all training and support is free. Learn more at www.guardianadlitem.org, contact Leslie Nestic at (386) 688-0589, or e-mail Leslie.nestic@gal.fl.gov.