Allen Williams is a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer in Alleghany County. The guardians work to make sure that each child’s interest is represented to the court in cases that affect them.

Volunteer guardians advocate for youths

Several years ago, then-Charlotte resident Allen Williams remembers listening to a program on public radio that touched his life so much, that after retirement, he became a volunteer for the program. The radio program was about Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), North Carolina’s child advocacy program for abused and neglected children whose cases are going through the court system

“The thing that got my attention was they had a recording of a guardian talking to some children and they were about to go into the courtroom,” Williams remembers. “Their mother had gotten in trouble with the law. This guardian was trying to explain to the children what was going to happen in the courtroom. They were trying to explain to the 8- and 10-year-old children what was going to happen and find from the children what they wanted. It was a very impressive program and I carried that memory with me for a long time.”

After retirement, Williams moved to Alleghany County and decided to get involved in the program on a local level in June 2001. The local program covers the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Yadkin, and Wilkes counties. The program is currently in need of additional volunteers in all four counties.

After a child is removed from their home by the Department of Social Services, the child becomes the “custody” of the Department of Social Services and a Guardian Ad Litem is appointed by the court to serve as an advocate for the child.

“The purpose of the Guardian Ad Litem is to advocate for the child independently of social services, mental health or any other agency,” Williams said. “We work with all the agencies and the court to advocate for the child. The end result is the guardian winds up writing a report for the judge that states what the guardian has found out about the case, the situation of the case, about the parents, child and the home environment, the whole family situation and recommends to the judge what will happen to the child. That’s the formal obligation of the guardian.”

As a child’s Guardian Ad Litem, a volunteer gathers information by talking to the children, their parents and members of the family. Williams noted that most children are in foster homes at the time the Guardian Ad Litem is appointed.

“You talk to the children, the parents and the whole family,” Williams said. “You talk to witnesses, the law enforcement, and teachers to try and find out what’s going on. Talking to the foster parents is very valuable.

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