Guardians Ad Litem in Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings: 
Clarifying the Roles to Improve Effectiveness

Abstract: This article begins with the historical and legislative development of guardian ad litem appointments in abuse and neglect proceedings. It then offers a review of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 and the implementation of the GAL requirement by states.

A discussion follows of the major problems with the current system, which include lack of compliance by half the states, inadequate guidance about who should be the GAL and what the responsibilities are, and problems encountered by attorneys who serve as guardians ad litem. The next section includes a brief history of the development of volunteer CASA/GAL programs

Section 1.  Introduction
Section 2.  Historical and Legislative Perspective
Section 3. Problems with the Current System
Section 4. Use of Lay Volunteers
Section 5. Proposed Duties for Guardians Ad Litem
Section 6. Conclusion
Footnotes

Download
Entire Family Law Article.  Right click and save this file to your desktop. Then double click the zipped .EXE file icon to unzip to a Word document you can view and print.
File Size: 78.6 KB