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Homes lost. Separation from family and friends. Treasured
possessions left behind. It is like living through a
hurricane.
A child advocate I know describes the plight of the
abused and neglected children she represents in this
way. There is an urgent need for help to avoid profound
loss and irreparable harm. Trapped in situations they
did not create, these children spend weeks, months,
and even years in a child protection system that cannot,
and was never meant to, replace having a family. Many
people work to improve the child protection system and
the children are waiting. They do not get their childhoods
back. Their lives are changed forever, and we know –
because science has told us – that the longer
the children wait in this broken system, the more damage
is done to their fragile hearts and minds. And somewhere
along the way, whether it is the fifth foster home,
or a parent’s relapse, some of the children break.
For the past 25 years, the Guardian ad Litem Program
has committed itself to giving these abused and neglected
children a strong voice in our court system. Since creation
of a statewide office in 2004, the Guardian ad Litem
Program has made substantial progress towards increasing
the number of children represented and generating better
outcomes for children. There are over 43,600 children
in need throughout our state, and the Guardian ad Litem
Program represents over half of them, while thousands
of children go to court alone.
In order to better fulfill the need throughout our
state, the Program continues to increase volunteer recruitment
efforts, improve and create more effective training
programs, and strengthen our advocacy in court. The
recent introduction of a new, enhanced volunteer training
curriculum broadens the spectrum of topics and methods
for each volunteer to put to good use to improve quality
of GAL advocacy.
I thank you for your hard work and your strong advocacy
for the children we represent. With your help, the Guardian
ad Litem Program will continue to advocate for individual
dependent children, as well as for the systemic changes
necessary to protect Florida’s abused and neglected
children.
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