Getting started on your first case – or sometimes even on your 10th case – as a Guardian ad Litem can feel overwhelming. The Friends of the Greenville County GAL Program put together this collection of tips to help you get going and keep moving smoothly in your work as a GAL.
Have a suggestion? Email us! GreenvilleGalFriends@gmail.com
- Don’t get discouraged. It happens sometimes, but not all the time.
- Ask for help – from your staff supervisor, another GAL or Mentor GALs.
- Create a new email account for only GAL communications. You will be surprised how much you use email, and it is nice to have it separate from your personal email.
- Create a new phone number for only GAL communications through Google Voice. It is free. You can text and call through this app, and again, it is nice to have it separate from your personal cell.
- There is a GAL Mentor Program if you are nervous about your first case, and/or if you simply want to learn from an experienced GAL. Your GAL supervisor can set you up with this.
- Ask your GAL supervisor for an ID badge. You will wear this badge to court (security lets you bring in drinks if you have it on), schools, home visits, jails, daycares, foster visits, and DSS office visits.
- Find your own “sweet spot” for case load before taking on too much. Each case is unique and requires different amounts of time.
- Every couple of years, when your cases can work out and close around the same time – take a month or two off. It can really help after a few difficult months of hard cases.
- Reach out with any questions to other GALS, staff, lawyers. Each case will be unique and offer new opportunities and learning experiences. It keeps GAL work interesting and challenging in a unique way.
- You’ll have to work quickly when you get a new case. Here are some things to get started on right away:
- Contact the DSS case worker
- Check MyCase for pleadings if your supervisor hasn’t sent them already
- Request case files/dictation from DSS (your supervisor may need to do this on your behalf)
- Check public index for criminal background
- Call caregiver in custody and set up child visit
- Call Mom and Dad (if foster or KCG)
- Request medical records – see tips below
- Reach out to teachers at school or other family members
- The most labor is in the first 4 weeks of getting a new case. This is because DSS has already been involved with the family, has decided to “file court”, and therefore the Merits Hearing is coming up fast. Your Merits Hearing report is due the Friday before court, so you want to gather data, interview relevant people, and meet with the children at least once before the hearing.
- Do not do any interviews or attend any meetings until you have received your Appointment Order (your supervisor will email it to you).
- Ask your GAL supervisor to send you the DSS pleadings for your new case, along with your Appointment Order. The pleadings will contain case background, caseworker and attorney, and dates for the Merits Hearing and any meetings (CFTM, PMHC).
- Email your GAL supervisor to request the DSS dictation for the current case, as well as any previous cases regarding the family. Your supervisor will email DSS Legal and you will receive an email link to the dictation.
- Contact the DSS caseworker to introduce yourself, exchange contact info, get an update on the case, and get contact information for all the parties (bio parents, foster parents, KCGs).Gather as much relevant information as possible EARLY, depending on the type of case
- If there is a concurrent criminal matter, get all police records. For Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, go to the Law Enforcement Center at 4 McGee St. near the detention center. Bring a copy of your Appointment Order and your ID badge. Ask for the reports on the parents, as well as any relevant addresses. You can wait for the printouts.
- Jail visits: if a parent on your caseload is incarcerated, you must visit them to conduct an initial interview. You are considered a Professional Visitor and need to get approval from Jail Administration to visit. Simply email detprov@greenvillecounty.org and attach your AO and ID. They may initially ask for a copy of your driver’s license in order to clear you. Each email visit request after that, you won’t need to attach your SCDL.
- Medical records are specific to the provider. For general Prisma records, go to 255 Enterprise Blvd. and fill out a Release of Information. Bring your AO and ID.
- For other providers and specialists, you must fill out their specific request form, and provide copies of your AO and ID. There are also ROI email addresses, however, I have gone in person in order to receive the records the same day. It’s personal preference.
- Therapy records usually come later in the case; regardless, therapists require copies of your AO and ID. You will receive summaries or general notes, and attendance records, but not specifics of the sessions for privacy reasons.
- Julie Valentine Center: if your child has already had a sexual/physical abuse forensic interview or forensic medical at JVC, you can receive copies of reports and a link to watch the interview. Contact Robyn Sadoon (Office Manager/Records) at (864) 331-0560 x221 or admin@julievalentinecenter.org. Robyn will need your AO and ID and will have you sign a confidentiality statement. She can then set you up with a Guardify account, which is their software portal that enables you to watch the recorded interviews.
- If your child has a pending interview, you can attend (at the JVC) and watch via livestream. This is a good opportunity to talk with law enforcement, as the Detectives attend the interviews as well.
- School records: with your AO and ID, you can request grades, attendance, incident reports, IEPs and 504s from schools. The Guidance Counselor for the school is usually a good contact.
- When you work with a great DSS person, take the time to send a short email to their supervisor. Maybe let them know you enjoyed working with caseworker, or uplift their strengths etc.
- Send letters via postal mail to your older kids – they appreciate it and it’s a different way to reach out to them between visits.
- Do not wait until the last of the month to get your visits done. You need to write this up after the visit, so give yourself plenty of time so they do not interfere with your life emergencies or put you in a bind.
- Prepare for your visit. Make sure you know the correct names and participants involved in your case.
- Mention when calling to set up the first visit that you’ll need to talk to the child in a private space
- Take notes as soon as possible and depending on your case you can take notes during the visit if not right after.
- Take the time to figure out a system of taking notes and keeping the notes from various visits and interviews organized. Take time immediately after a child visit to write down everything, while it’s all still fresh if you can’t take notes during these visits.
- Remember that you can meet with school age (or even preschool) children at school. You can call the guidance counselor to find out a good time to meet at school and also ask about attendance and behavior issues. This can be a good relationship to build.
- Make sure to do a visit with the kids and caregiver without the case worker, and talk to each parent independently
- If you have a Spanish-speaking parent (or child), you can tag on to DSS’ interviews where they will have a certified interpreter. On court days, check with the case worker right away to confirm an interpreter is present.
- Email Appointment Order over and call and leave a voicemail with the student’s assigned guidance counselor before visiting school.
- Get your MMR’s and Court Reports in on time. Staff members have to read/prepare them before the hearing or as with MMR’s must be ready for their reports.
- Do not be afraid to disagree with DSS’ recommendations. However, do a thorough investigation so that you have complete and current information to stand on. Our court report recommendations are based on facts and evidence. You will quickly gain a reputation with DSS, attorneys, judges and families based on the thoroughness of your reports.
- Refer back to your GAL training information for useful language in your reports.
- Write your court reports backward. Start with your recommendations, then write your conclusion to support it, using your own thoughts and observations. In the remaining sections of the report, stick to documented facts and attribute them to the source. You can be a source, but refer strictly to observations (not opinions) and attribute them to “the Guardian ad Litem” rather than writing in the first person. Share all information you have that will support your conclusion and recommendations.
- Don’t wait until the end of month to do your MMR’s – do within a day or 2 after monthly visit – and send!
- Take along something to read and maybe a snack.
- Be prepared – it can take a long time.
- Do not fear having to testify in a hearing. It does not happen often and if it does, try not to worry. No one in the courtroom is going to try to trip you up. They are not out to get you. Talk to Don about your concerns. Even the opposing attorney is going to be civil. Remember: it is not a criminal trial, and you are not anyone’s enemy. Everyone gets worried. Just try not to, and talk to the other GALs that are there already waiting, too.
- If the judge asks a question of/about the guardian, say nothing. Don is the person who speaks.
- Ask DSS for a copy of their Treatment Plan every time you go to court.
- Learn a lot on Court days – meet other GALS and listen and learn from all the very unique situations.
- Go to the appreciation events and meet-ups. You can meet other guardians, the board members and other staff members.
- The Friends board can provide support funds for children to participate in summer day camps or extracurricular activities during the year, especially in kinship situations where there aren’t a lot of other resources available
- There is a comprehensive listing of community resources organized by category on the Friends board website
- Bring your kids books from the GAL office donated library, or books you may collect from somewhere else. Often appreciated.