Why G.A.L.s are Important for Foster Kids

Guardian Ad Litems (GALs) or Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) speak for a child in court.  They are the most impartial person involved in these cases.  They have little to gain or lose in the proceedings.  Their main concern is the best interest of the child.  As a volunteer they don't have a job to lose.  They speak for the child and represent the community. 

When a child is in Foster Care they are caught between often adversarial parties.  Case Workers, Foster Parents and Parents all have competing interests.  Attorneys and judges all have jobs to protect.  They all have their own axes to grind and have lives and livelihoods on the line.  The CASA/GAL is the one person in the courtroom who has almost nothing personal to gain or lose.

According to the National CASA Program:

"A major factor in avoiding bad outcomes for an abused child is the presence of a concerned adult in that child’s life. In 2004, over 188,000 abused and neglected children were able to have at least one consistent and concerned adult in their lives, a volunteer court appointed special advocate (CASA).

CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused children and to ensure that they do not get lost in the overburdened legal system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. They stay with each child’s case until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home with hope for a positive future. In some states, CASA volunteers are referred to as volunteer guardians ad litem (GALs)."

GALs provide indispensable services to the children and to the courts that no one else can provide! And they do it for free!

GALs are required by law to do all of the following:  Thoroughly research the case and ascertain the relevant facts;   ensure that the court receives an independent, objective account of those facts;  meet with the child wherever the child is placed as often as is necessary to determine that the child is safe and to ascertain the best interests of the child;  explain things to the child;  participate in the development and negotiation of any plans for and orders regarding the child; monitor the implementation of those plans and orders to determine whether services are being provided in an appropriate and timely manner;  appear at all proceedings regarding the child; inform the court of the desires of the child, but exercise independent judgment regarding the best interests of the child; present recommendations to the court and provide reasons in support of those recommendations; request the court to enter orders that are clear, specific and, when appropriate, include periods for compliance and advocate for expedient completion of the case. 

In short GALs: are impartial eyes and ears for the court, give judges information that they can get nowhere else and speak up for children who desperately need someone to put their needs first.