06/06/2023
One of our Guardian ad Litem Volunteers was assigned a case with a child who had a father out of state. DCF sheltered the child from the mother. The court petition stated that the father was non-offending. The Guardian ad Litem Volunteer did some digging on Google and found the father had all kinds of charges in South Carolina, including drug and gun charges. The information located caused the court petition to be amended.
The father came to the arraignment in person, and the general magistrate would allow unsupervised visits.
The Guardian ad Litem Attorney requested supervised visitation in court due to pending charges. The father stated it was only a traffic stop. The Guardian ad Litem Attorney informed the court it was also drugs and guns involved in the traffic stop.
We are glad to say that unsupervised visitation was not granted.
At the Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office, as a team that always includes a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, child welfare professional and hopefully a trained volunteer or pro bono attorney from the child’s community, we provide powerful, effective, high-quality advocacy with one goal: that every child finds a safe, loving, permanent home where they can thrive.
Great job to our Guardian ad Litem Volunteer for making sure the child remained safe.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities in your local community, visit www.guardianadlitem.org.
