Bill allows legal aid to train GALs.

A bill aimed at increasing the number of guardians ad litem available for family law cases has unanimously cleared the Senate.

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"It allows nonprofit legal aid programs to recruit, train, and certify non-attorney guardians ad litem who will be available for court appointment to serve only in nondependency family law cases," said Sen. Arthenia L. Joyner, D-Tampa. "This bill will serve a great need as we need as many guardians ad litem as possible to help represent our children."

SB 1018 bill provides that a person certified by a legal aid organization may serve as a guardian ad litem in dissolution of marriage cases, after the organization has conducted a security background investigation and provides appropriate training.

Currently there are 6,754 certified volunteers in the Guardian ad Litem Program.

Florida statutes allow courts to appoint GALs in domestic relations cases if the court finds it is in the best interest of the child. However, the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office--which oversees the operations of the GAL programs in the 20 judicial circuits--does not now represent children in dissolution of marriage proceedings unless the child is also subject to dependency proceedings, due in part to limited resources. Therefore, the Guardian ad Litem Program currently does not...