No. Our volunteer GALs do not take the children into their homes or transport them.
No. Our volunteers are from all walks of life. You will receive a free 30-hour training course to prepare you for your work as a volunteer GAL and receive ongoing support from GAL program employees.
Being a volunteer GAL requires no specialized degrees or legal experience. It does require special people over the age of 21, who are legal residents of South Carolina, are able to pass background and reference checks, and have:
- A concern for children's issues
- A genuine desire to help
- The commitment to complete a free 30-hour training course
- Sensitivity to people who are different from themselves
- The desire to give 4-6 hours a month to a child
Many volunteer GALs work full time and find the experience flexible enough to accommodate their schedules. You will go to court about 2-4 times a year and attend a few daytime meetings. The rest of a volunteer GAL’s work is done on his or her own time – visiting the child, reviewing records, and reading and writing reports. You will meet, email, and call others involved in the case. Throughout a child’s case, volunteers typically spend an average of 4-6 hours a month.
Volunteer GALs are assigned to a case after the alleged child abuse or neglect has occurred. The volunteer GAL’s focus is on determining the child’s current and future needs. GAL program employees provide emotional support and guidance throughout the case and accompany volunteers to court hearings.
Volunteer GALs are never expected or encouraged to place themselves in dangerous situations. The work of a volunteer GAL is challenging, but you will always have the support of a GAL program staff person.
Volunteer GALs work with children who have been abused or neglected and are under the protection of DSS and the family court system. These children could be living in a foster home or a relative’s home. They range in age from newborn to teenager and in numbers from one child on a case to a large sibling group. Volunteers can choose an age range that they prefer to work with. We provide a GAL to every child who needs one.
A volunteer GAL finds out what the child wants. They learn about the child's family, school progress, and any special needs. The volunteer GAL works with all agencies involved with the child, including the Department of Social Services, the family court, school personnel, and counselors to help the child through this process.
Absolutely. Volunteer GALs offer children a consistent helping hand to guide them through the foster care system and a strong voice advocating on their behalf. As a result, children represented by a GAL are more likely to:
- Receive the services and resources they and their families need
- Maintain stable placements while in foster care
- Find safe, loving permanent homes
Volunteer GALs make recommendations based on the time they spend with the child, the review of records, interviews with the caseworker, foster parents, teachers, relatives, parents, and any other person involved in the child’s life. A volunteer GAL learns about the community services available and how to make recommendations in the free 30-hour training course.
The volunteer GAL is appointed to represent the best interests of the child and make recommendations to the court. Judges respect volunteer GALs and take their recommendations into account when making decisions. A 2009 judicial survey gave an overall satisfaction of the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program a 4.7 out of 5.0.
No. By statute, volunteer GALs can only be appointed on child abuse and neglect cases in family court. Divorce and custody cases sometimes involve a private Guardian ad Litem, but those are not volunteer GALs. The Cass Elias McCarter GAL Program has no oversight over private GALs.
Our volunteer training does NOT qualify a person to be a private GAL.
Learn more about the differences between volunteer and private GALs.
The Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program, a division of the South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy, is state-funded. We currently operate in 45 counties within the state’s 16 judicial circuits.
The Richland County Guardian ad Litem Program operates independently from the statewide program and is funded as a public-private partnership through various county funds, grants and donations.
Volunteer GALs and private GALs both represent the best interests of a child in family court. However their conduct is governed by two different statutes.
- Volunteer GALs serve children in court involved in abuse and neglect cases brought by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
- Private GALs serve children in private cases such as divorces, typically when child custody and visitation are an issue. Private GALs are NOT a part of, regulated by, nor trained through the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program.
Learn more about the differences between volunteer and private GALs.