Welcome to our pages! If you have arrived here, it is because you are at least curious about how you could help an abused or neglected child... and you can. Throughout North Carolina, we always need more volunteers to be a voice for the children who find themselves the subject of court cases. We provide training to make sure you are at ease in your role, and as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem you will be in court as a team member with a trained attorney advocate. Since 1983, the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program has served the best interests of thousands of children. Many were able to return home, some now live with other family members, still others have been adopted. What we try to ensure is that all of the children we represent remain safe, and that their homes are permanent.
In the past fiscal year, 4,618 trained volunteers served 17,701 children. These children were in court because a petition had been filed stating they were abused or neglected. These numbers were a significant increase over the preceding year, and a record number of hearings were scheduled – 38,828. We continue to need more volunteer Guardians ad Litem to meet the needs of these growing numbers of children.
Please take a few minutes to browse our pages. It takes a special person to be a Guardian ad Litem, but being a volunteer GAL will give you the opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a child. Contact the
Guardian ad Litem office in your area for information on how you can help. We hope you will decide to join us – a child near you needs you.
Thank you.
Jane Volland, Administrator
