Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office has an urgent need for volunteers
Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office volunteers are needed to represent youth in the foster care system who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected.
We envision a world where every abused or neglected child can thrive in a safe and loving home. The purpose of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is to provide all the most vulnerable children in Florida with a multi-disciplinary team that includes a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, child welfare professional and hopefully a trained volunteer or pro bono attorney providing the highest quality community advocacy and legal representation to protect each child’s legal interests.
More than 500 children are in dependency court in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, including Leon, Liberty, Wakulla, Franklin, Gadsden, and Jefferson counties. In recent months we have had an increase in cases. We need more Statewide Guardian ad Litem volunteers to fulfill the third person of each child’s multi-disciplinary team. In the Second Judicial Circuit, 54 children do not have a trained volunteer or pro bono attorney on their team.
Statewide Guardian ad Litem office volunteers undergo a thorough one-time, free 30-hour training to serve as a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer who advocates for the best interests of abused, neglected, and dependent children.
You can speak up for a child who has been abused or neglected by becoming a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer. The Second Judicial Circuit is currently accepting application for the next training class. No special education, experience, or background is needed because they will train you.
If you are interested in volunteering, employment, or pro bono opportunities, visit our website at www.guardianadlitem.org.
Angela Diorio is the 2nd Circuit Guardian ad Litem recruiter.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com. Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.