Spring training scheduled- Advocate for a child in foster care!

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Spring training has been scheduled! !!Child Advocates needed. training begins April 11th via Zoom from 10-12 Monday through Thursday for 5 weeks. We are looking for a select group of people with extraordinary hearts to volunteer as Guardians ad Litem to represent to the best interest of children in foster care. The next training starts January 10th (virtual), application deadline is December 20th. Email Galstacyz@gmail.com, visit http://www.pnwgal.com/vgal-program or call 360-393-6666 for more information. If you would like to see the full agenda https://pnwgal.com/training

We are planning our next training group and would love to hear from you!

We have an ongoing need for everyday people to volunteer as Guardian ad Litems (GAL) to represent to the court the best interest of our children in care. There are over 200 children in Skagit county who are abandoned or victims of abuse or neglect. We need people in our community to be a voice for these children. Our next training is coming up and we would love to tell you more about how you can advocate for an abused or neglected child.

VGALs are community volunteers who are appointed by judges to advocate in court for abused and/or neglected children. When a child is in danger living at home, the Department of Children, Youth and Family (DCYF) may step in and say that the child needs to be moved to a safe environment. In order to determine what circumstances will keep the child safe, the case is brought to court where a judge will rule where the child should go.

Once a case is brought to court, the judge appoints a GAL volunteer to the child. The GAL volunteer researches the child's situation - this includes talking to the child as well as the child's parents, teachers, counselors... anyone who plays a significant role in the child's life - and then forms an educated recommendation as to what is in that child's best interests to maintain well-being and encourage safe permanency. Once the GAL volunteer determines the child's best interests, they write a report to the judge recommending a home placement (returning to their previous homes, foster care, staying with relatives...) and services to address any unique, unmet needs that the child has.

GAL volunteers spend an average of ten hours a month working on a case, though typically they spend more time at the beginning of a case than they do towards the end. Cases generally last at least a year, and we ask that each volunteer commits to remaining a volunteer as long as their case is open. Children face a constant rotation of judges, social workers, and foster homes, but all the while their GAL volunteer remains a stable and constant adult in their lives. Training is 30 hours over the course of 4 weeks.