A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay of the Representation of Children as a Guardian Ad Litem — 2021 Qualifying Course.
To be appointed as a guardian ad litem for children in Virginia, members of the bar must meet the standards set forth by the Judicial Council of Virginia. This seven-hour course meets the training requirement under these standards. All attorneys who wish to qualify for court appointment as GALs for children in Virginia must take this course.
This is the training course you MUST take to qualify as a GAL for Children in Virginia.
This program is supported by the Court Improvement Program, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, through federal grant funds of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Topics to be covered include:
- Explanation of the qualification process for GALs for Children
- Roles, responsibilities, and duties of GAL representation; review of the Standards to Govern the Performance of Guardians Ad Litem for Children
- Role of local departments of Social Services and community partners in child dependency cases
- Laws governing child dependency cases
- Cultural Awareness and the Elimination of Bias
- Characteristics of abusive and neglectful families and of children who are victims; physical, medical, and mental health aspects of child abuse and neglect
- Developmental needs of children: Communication with children, children as witnesses, use of closed circuit television
For more information on becoming a GAL for children in Virginia, please contact the Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, 100 North Ninth Street, Third Floor, Richmond, Virginia 23219, (804) 786-6455, or visit this website: www.courts.state.va.us.
Please note this is the course necessary to become initially qualified as a GAL for Children in Virginia. If you are already a qualified GAL for Children in Virginia and are looking to take a GAL program to comply with your continuing education requirements (6 hours every two years), you may repeat this initial qualifying program only once within a six-year period. For example, you are certified as a GAL in 2021. You may retake this initial qualifying course for GAL credit again in 2023, but then would have to wait until 2029 to take this course again for GAL credit.
This online seminar is not eligible for discounts.