17th Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program

Can you imagine being a child in the only home you know; getting taken out of that home by some people in uniforms; forced into a place you have never been, without any of the people or possessions that bring you comfort; then these people who took you from your home start asking you personal questions? Can you imagine?

This is the reality for the children served by the Florida Guardian ad Litem Program (GALP). Many of the children represented by the GALP have been removed from their homes due to abuse, abandonment or neglect. This causes a tremendous disruption in their lives and is why the need for the children to have their own personal advocate, a Guardian ad Litem, is so vital.

Facts about Broward County’s Abused and Neglected Children

Number of Children in the system:

Number of Children appointed to the GALP:

Number of Children in need of a GAL:

Children Newborn - 5 years old:

Children 6 - 11 years old:

Children 12 - 18 years old:

African American Children:

Caucasian Children:

Hispanic/Latino Children:

Numbers of GALs:

Number of GALs needed:

2,150

2,100

700

36%

26%

34%

52%

29%

15%

343

375