Florida statutes require the appointment of a guardian ad litem in specified legal situations, including dependency cases. The Guardian Ad Litem program was initially established in Florida in 1980 under the jurisdiction of the courts. In 2004, the statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office was created to provide infrastructure to and standardization among the local programs.
The statewide Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program consists of staff and volunteers in 21 local programs.
The guardian ad litem in a dependency case carries out the following activities.
In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the Guardian ad Litem program represented an average of 24,993 children in Florida. The average is of 12 months of point-in-time data, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The program also certified 1,671 new volunteers.
Fund | Salary Rate/ Position | General Revenue | Trust Funds | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SALARY RATE | ||||
POSITIONS | ||||
SALARIES AND BENEFITS | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM GRANTS AND DONATIONS TRUST FUND | ||||
OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM GRANTS AND DONATIONS TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS - COURT SYSTEM SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
OPERATING EXPENDITURES | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM GRANTS AND DONATIONS TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
RISK MANAGEMENT INSURANCE | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
GUARDIAN AD LITEM ATTORNEY TRAINING | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
LEASE OR LEASE-PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
TRANSFER TO DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES - HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES PURCHASED PER STATEWIDE CONTRACT | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
DATA PROCESSING SERVICES | ||||
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DATA CENTER (NWRDC) | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
TOTAL |
61,216,009 |
5,283,489 |
Literature Review of Studies on the Effectiveness of Advocacy Models for Children in Dependency, Report 21-07, December 2021 |
Due Process Services, Report 19-18, December 2019 |
Other Reports
2021 Annual Report, Florida Guardian ad Litem
2020 Annual Report, Florida Guardian ad Litem
Websites of Interest
National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Performance Information
Statewide Guardian ad Litem Program, 850-922-7213
Website