History/Role of GAL
The four main duties of a Guardian ad Litem (GAL).
What are investigate, facilitate, advocate and monitor?
When made aware of abuse or neglect, teachers, doctors, social workers, etc are subject to this.
What is the mandatory reporting law?
The ability to work effectively with people from a variety of ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds.
What is cultural competence?
A pattern of failing to provide for a child's basic needs.
What is neglect?
The first hearing in a case where DSS has taken custody of a child.
Victim in one of the first well-documented cases of child abuse in 1874.
Who is Mary Ellen?
The first placement preference when a child is removed from their home.
What is a member of the child's extended family?
Expressing one needs, having those needs met and developing trust constitutes this.
What is attachment?
The most critical years for a child's brain development.
What is birth to age 3?
The legal term for the state's obligation to offer family support to prevent a child's removal or to reunify families.
What is "reasonable efforts"?
Strict guidelines that a GAL follows regarding who can have access to case information.
What is confidentiality?
Passed in 1978 to protect Native American children.
What is the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)?
The process of simultaneously planning for reunification and an alternate permanency goal.
What is concurrent planning?
A contributing factor for more than half of all children in foster care.
What is parental substance abuse?
The hearing at which the state agency must prove the allegations written in the petition.
What is the Adjudication hearing?
Three skills that can enhance a GAL volunteers work.
What are professionalism, interpersonal competence and cultural competence?
The paramount consideration in the cases under the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
What is the safety of the child?
The stages of this are: the child protests vigorously; the child despairs; the child becomes emotionally detached.
What is separation?
A term used when a caseworker's investigation shows that a report of harm appears valid.
A hearing to determine the future living situation for a child and the direction of a case.
What is a Permanency Planning hearing?
This judge started the first CASA/GAL program in 1977 in Seattle, Washington.
Who is Judge David Soukup?
What are "reasonable efforts"?
This context is considered the "polar star" for a GAL volunteer when making recommendations to the court.
What is the child's best interest?
The bottom-line standard for a child to remain in the home.
What is "minimum sufficient level of care"?
A term that implies a parent agrees with the allegations in the petition and does not wish to have all the evidence testified to in court.
What is stipulation?