Editor’s Note: For over 30 years, court-appointed special advocates (CASAs) and guardians of ad litems (GALs) have played a crucial role in protecting children. They do this by ensuring kids at the center of custody battles or victims of child abuse have a voice in the court proceedings that decide their future. Despite its proven effectiveness, the U.S. Department of Justice terminated funding for the National CASA/GAL program this month (April 2025). This loss of federal funding will have a devastating and far-reaching impact on hundreds of thousands of kids nationwide and the volunteers serving them. In this article, you will hear from these tireless volunteers and child advocates. We at Seattle’s Child urge you to take action to protect vulnerable children: contact your members of Congress and urge them to demand funding reinstatement for the National CASA/GAL program.
Some things stick with you forever. Ask any police officer, doctor, plumber, teacher, lawyer — really, ask anyone — and you’ll hear “war stories” from their professional experiences. Despite having spent 20 years performing a number of legal system-adjacent roles, telling war stories isn’t my thing. However, if pressed to name the most difficult job, hands-down it would be Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) or Guardian ad Litem (GAL).
Two positions, same goal
A GAL or CASA is appointed to represent the best interests of children during court proceedings in challenging family law cases. Both positions are charged with making recommendations to the judge about where and with whom a child should live — based on investigating the circumstances surrounding the case. Investigations typically include: home visits; reviewing medical, school, and other records; and conducting interviews with people familiar with the child and parents.
Serving as both a CASA and GAL led me to conclude that it’s difficult to obtain full consideration of children’s best interests from our legal system. Problems in family court frequently go far beyond the realm of law; they speak directly to the heart of many social problems — poverty, violence, substance abuse, and folks who lack the support, resources, and/or mentorship to successfully take on the role of parent. These issues are well beyond the ability of any one individual or system to solve.
Although family law falls squarely on the civil side, many criminal factors may impact these complex cases. Some common criminal issues that bleed into family court include: drug and alcohol abuse; domestic violence; and child neglect, abandonment, or abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual). This juxtaposition between criminal law and family law often necessitates a complicated dance — especially if the adult caregivers have overlap between the two systems.
[Behind the Scenes: What it’s like to be a 9-year CASA volunteer]
The lasting impact
While it requires a passion for justice and compassion for kids to be a GAL or CASA, it also requires strong nerves, patience, and thick skin. A few examples: On the stand in court, I was once personally vilified by an attorney, only to have the same person apologize in the courthouse hallway afterward. “I’m sorry. I was only doing my job.”
In another case, I was accused by a non-parent family member of only doing the work for the money—“You’re only doing this because it’s your bread and butter.” This assertion was especially ironic for two reasons: one can make more money doing virtually anything else, and all the while I was a GAL, I had another full-time job. In a third case, during the first vacation I’d taken in three years, I spent countless hours on the phone with a parent, child protective services, and the police because of a crisis.
Personal safety may also be a concern. It turns out that going to people’s houses to judge them isn’t the best safety plan. As a check, I always told my partner what town I was going to be working in and what time he should expect to hear from me again. The lack of authority one has as a GAL or CASA volunteer —you’re not CPS or law enforcement—means there’s always potential for trouble.
I remember the first home visit when I felt unsafe. Marijuana smoke filled the air (before it was legal). While I was at the house, several people stopped in and bought what appeared to be drugs from another member of the household. After engaging with a parent whose pupils were the size of pinpricks, it probably won’t come as a surprise that I recommended the child should be in the primary custody of the other parent.
Have room for heartbreak
Cases often led to heartbreak and frustration, especially when a recommendation I felt strongly about was not heeded by the court. In one GAL case, I consulted child forensic interview specialists and studied how best to ask children non-leading questions about sexual abuse. While sitting on the bedroom floor with a child under six-years-old, the child spontaneously disclosed sexual touching by an adult who was entrusted to provide care. Regardless, the court ultimately ordered the child remain in the part-time care of the alleged abuser. To this day, based on the child’s specific disclosure, I remain relatively certain sexual abuse was occurring in that case.
In another case I’ll never forget, I “won” (meaning the court agreed with my assessment). It involved an infant, a mother who was struggling with addiction, and a father who seemed to have beaten his addiction. Based on numerous other factors uncovered through my investigation, I recommended full custody of the child should be awarded to the father. The mother was understandably devastated. Validation came much later, when I saw the mother during an unrelated professional visit to the women’s prison at Purdy. Although I’d made a solid recommendation, it was never one I felt good about.
[Volunteering with CASA: Become a voice for kids]
Slow turn of the wheels
Anyone who has ever had contact with the court system is too well aware that the wheels of justice turn slowly. Unfortunately, the outcomes in both family and criminal courts often boil down to making less-than-ideal choices.
I came to a point in my life where I could not continue this type of work. Although it’s been several years since I served as either a GAL or CASA volunteer, I maintain my belief that all adults share a responsibility to advocate for children.
Everyone deserves to be heard, especially children. In an ideal world, all children would have their needs met and have the opportunity to develop their own voices; no child should be forced to rely upon a system that appoints an adult to perform that function.
