A Guardian ad Litem is a court appointed volunteer who advocates for children in the legal system.  In 2010, more than 10,900 children in North Carolina were placed in foster care due to abusive home situations.  

Cathy Davidson supervises the program in Yadkin County.  She says nearly two dozen children are in need of people to help them through tough situations.

“We have 23 abused or neglected children currently in foster care here who have no one representing their desires or objectively looking out for their best interest as Guardian ad Litem volunteers,” said Davidson.

Davidson added, “With the economy the way it is, parents are under stress there is more domestic violence and abuse of alcohol and drugs and so there are more children in these situations”.

Davidson says the Guardian ad Litem program especially needs men to volunteer, because boys make up 61 percent of the children placed in the Department of Social Services’ Protection. 

Currently, Yadkin County only has one male volunteer. Guardian ad Litem volunteers must complete around 20 hours of training and a criminal background check.  Davidson says the time commitment ranges from 4 to 10 hours a month.

“Anyone with a flexible schedule can volunteer. A good portion of what they do is talk on the phone to people. You also go visit the children to see where they are living, and talk with the parents to get a full idea of what their story is. We also ask that you speak with case workers, therapists and teachers to see how the child in progressing in foster care,” said Davidson.

According to the US Department of Justice, children assigned a volunteer child advocate typically fare better than those without a Guardian ad Litem. Department figures show that approximately 95 percent are able to move out of long-term foster care and 90 percent of the children never re-enter the child welfare system.