North Carolina Guardian ad Litem (GAL) equips community volunteers to serve abused and neglected children by advocating for their best interests in court. A GAL advocate is a trained community volunteer who is appointed, along with a Guardian ad Litem attorney and staff member, by a district court judge to investigate and determine the needs of abused and neglected children petitioned into the court system by the Department of Social Services. Their role is mandated by North Carolina General Statute 7B-601. The main GAL qualification is having a sincere concern for the well-being of children and a willingness to commit to serving on a child's case until permanence is achieved. Throughout NC the GAL Program seeks to serve the best interests of thoursand of children who find themselves the subjects of court cases by assigning them a GAL volunteer. Our program exists in every county throughout the state, and with the help of more than 5,300 volunteers, we serve more than 18,000 children per year.