Page 33 - Robeson Living Summer 2020

proceedings;
• Help the courts work efficiently toward safety and perma- While GAL staff and attorney advocates are vital, our volun-
nence for children; teers are truly the heart and soul of the program. They are
• Conduct independent investigations to determine the facts, screened, interviewed, and receive 30 hours of initial training.
needs of the child, and the resources appropriate to meet those At least six hours of in-service training are offered each year to
needs; maintain the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for best
• Determine the wishes or expressed preferences of the child interests of child clients. Our GALs are adults who come from
and report those to the court; diverse communities, cultures, and life and work experiences.
• Provide a voice for abused and neglected children. On average, they donate eight hours each month to perform
their statutorily mandated duties. GAL volunteers visit child
Why Use Volunteers? clients, conduct interviews, read reports, monitor court orders,
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. collaborate with service providers, formulate fact-based, child-
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You focused court reports with recommendations, and may testify
don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to in court hearings if needed.
serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of ther-
modynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart While GAL attorney advocates are appointed to every case,
full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther the Robeson County program does not yet have a volunteer
advocate for every child. In those instances where no volunteer
King, Jr., Minister and Civil Rights Activist advocate is available, GAL staff are required to perform the
volunteer advocate’s duties, limiting their ability to focus on
When speaking about child victim advocacy in court, the ques- their primary duties of recruitment, training, and supervision.
tion sometimes arises, “Why use volunteers?” The short an- More importantly, it means the child cannot receive the same
swer is that volunteers are effective. Guardian ad Litem vol- level of advocacy those assigned a volunteer advocate gets.
unteers provide an independent, unbiased voice for abused
and neglected children. Because they are unpaid, but focus on Currently, hundreds of Robeson County children need the ser-
the child’s best interests, their position in court is unique. The vices of a volunteer advocate. We believe every child deserves
model of co-appointing volunteers and attorneys to speak for the best advocacy their community can provide through the
abused and neglected children in court provides strong, com- services of dedicated volunteer advocates. We believe there
petent advocacy for the children who need it. Essentially, the are many in Robeson County committed to serving others in
GAL volunteer puts their heart and soul into the advocacy. need. We believe many have the heart and soul to serve as the
voice of a child in court.
GAL staff recruit, train, and supervise volunteers. These roles,
along with thorough screening and criminal record checks, Could you be a voice for the children in our community? You
help ensure the safety and best interests of child clients. Staff have so much to offer…and we know you can make a big dif-
duties include assuring quality representation for children, pro- ference.
moting positive community relations to foster commitment to
the program, while educating the public, maintaining a record If you are ready to begin using your voice, visit www.vol-
keeping case management system, and developing and provid- unteerforgal.org and apply to join this exclusive and special
ing appropriate in-service training opportunities. Staff must group of community volunteers or contact Patricia Lewis at
have knowledge of volunteer administration, child develop- [email protected] and learn more about Guardian
ment, juvenile court, applicable laws and statutes, program ad Litem service in Robeson County.
development, and evaluation techniques. They often serve on
local interdisciplinary task forces and committees that affect
the availability of services for GAL child clients.

GAL attorneys represent children’s best interests in over
70,000 court hearings, including non-secure custody hearings,
adjudicatory proceedings, dispositional proceedings, review
hearings, permanency planning hearings, proceedings to ter-
minate parental rights, and post termination of parental rights
hearings. In addition, they often participate in team meetings
and any court ordered pre-trial conferences. Although juvenile
appeals are expedited, the number of appeals is rising. Attor-
neys from law firms across the state contribute pro bono time
and expertise to handle nearly 55 percent of all GAL appeals.

Robeson Living ~ Summer 2020 Page 33