April 1991 Home   Newsletters

May 1991

June-July 1991

President's Message (Arlene Ellis)
League Testifies
Viewpoint
Volunteers Needed to Help Neglected and Abused Children
Letters from Leaguers (Sam Szucs)
Letters from Leaguers - 2 (Mildred Walston)
Citizen's Petition - The National Voter Registration Act
Q & A on Voter Registration Reform Legislation
For Action! Petition Congress - National Voting Act
Officers and Board of Directors Approved at Annual Meeting
LWV-Hawaii Convention 1991

Volunteers Needed to Help Neglected and Abused Children

by The Volunteer Guardians Ad Litem Program

The Oahu Family Court is continuously recruiting volunteers for its Volunteer Guardians Ad Litem (VGAL) program which helps neglected and abused children. VGAL is modeled after the nationally recognized Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Volunteers in the VGAL program are trained and appointed by the Court to represent the best interest of a child during a court directed treatment and rehabilitative process.

Training courses for volunteers are generally scheduled every three months for five consecutive Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The course will next be offered in June and September.

A VGAL's primary responsibility is to keep the Court informed about the child and about the progress of the rehabilitation services provided to the families. Volunteers serve as fact finders, advocates, monitors and protectors to a child in need. They also bring to the Court's attention any changes to the child's or family's situation which may require changes to the Court's order. (The child. DOES NOT live with the VGAL.)

A Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem must be at least 20 years old and able to spend an average of 16 hours per month volunteering on a child's case. The volunteers are matched to children according to the time commitment a VGAL can make and to the nature of the case. Special education degrees are not required.

For applications or more information about the VGAL program please call 548-2137 (24-hour message recorder) or 548-2139.

April 1991 Home   Newsletters June-July 1991