Dennis W. Moore
Executive Director
I am often asked what the Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is. The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office consists of Florida’s most exemplary volunteers, attorneys, child welfare professionals, and community partners working tirelessly together and advocating for the legal interests of Florida’s most vulnerable children, the abused, neglected and abandoned. The way we make a difference is by representing the whole child. You support the children we represent by supporting the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office.
Every child appointed to the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is assigned a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, a child welfare professional, and hopefully a trained volunteer or pro bono attorney from the child’s community. Our dedicated volunteers serve a special role, dedicating their time, passion, skills, empathy, and sound judgment to become mentors, someone the child can trust and depend on. Even though I have been part of this Office for years, it still amazes me the impact one caring and consistent adult can make in a child’s life. Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office representation aligns with the child welfare system’s goal to serve the child’s best interests. It is the most developmentally appropriate, efficient, and effective way to promote the child’s safety, health, and well-being.
The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office utilizes a nationally recognized multi-disciplinary team approach to provide advocacy and legal representation for over 36,000 children in Florida in 2022. Our approach allows us to know the child, understand what the child’s wants and needs are (which many times is not the same thing), and be their voice and advocate for them in the court and the community. Together with our partners, we build a better future for our children.
Thank you for your interest, for getting involved, and for choosing to be part of our award-winning team that provides high-quality, independent legal representation for our children who need it most. Being a part of the Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office has been and continues to be the most rewarding experience of my career. I am honored to be associated with people who give so much to the children in our communities. I continue to learn from the children we represent, and I am humbled in our representation of them, giving them a voice and helping them find their own.
Dennis W. Moore
Executive Director
Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office