Community Corner
Volunteer Here: Hillsborough County Guardian ad Litem Program
An occasional feature of an organization that needs your help.
Hillsborough County's Guardian ad Litem program is looking for volunteers to help advocate on behalf of children stuck in bad home situations. Volunteers help abused and neglected children by speaking on their behalf in court and work to ensure each child is placed with a healthy and safe new family.
The program provides a 30-hour training course for new volunteers, who then work with a supervisor and a program attorney. There are currently over 800 children in Hillsborough County who need a Guardian ad Litem.
Volunteers need to be 21 or older, have good communications skills and will be trained in courtroom procedures, social services, the juvenile justice system, and the special needs of abused and neglected children. The group welcomes volunteers from all cultures and professions, ethnic and educational backgrounds.