KINGSTREE— Abused and neglected children in Williamsburg County and accross the state will be in need of further assistance following changes in state policy.
In November 2009, the South Carolina Supreme Court announced that as of July 1, 2010 attorney’s would no longer be appointed as guardians ad litem—advocates in court on the behalf of children —in cases involving abuse or neglect, leaving the entire case load to fall to volunteer programs throughout the state.
Keisha White, coordinator for the Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program in Williamsburg County, said additional volunteers are needed for the state run service that provides advocates to children involved in the various court cases.
White said that in 2009 the county referred 65 abused or neglected children, ranging from newborns to 17-year-olds, to the program in Kingstree. However, seven of those children had to be passed on to attorneys due to the number of cases being handled by office volunteers.
Under the new guidelines, that option will no longer exist and the program will be required to take all children referred to them by the county, which could cause problems for volunteers and create a possible overload of cases.
Currently, the Williamsburg County program has 11 volunteers, White said, but would need at least eight more to handle the soon to increase workload. She said the difficulty of coordinating volunteer schedules for the 60-plus children the office averages each year is one of the strongest reasons for the needed additional help.
Created in 1984, the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem program was one of the first state to recruit community volunteers to advocate for children in cases of abuse or neglect, speaking on the child’s behalf in court. While the decision from the Supreme Court was done based on what the court said was the success of the statewide program. According to White, too many cases with too few volunteers could be problematic.
“It could be a problem if we don’t get the volunteers,” she said.
To volunteer, White said interested parties must be at least 21-years-old and complete 30 hours of training at the program’s offices in Kingstree. Cases require four to six service hours a month to see the child and talk with parties involved in the legal case. Guardians are required to see the child once a month while the case remains in court, White said. The longest case requiring a volunteer’s involvement, she said, lasted roughly two years.
“I’m willing to take as many as I can,” she said, speaking of volunteers. “What could be more rewarding than speaking for a child who can’t speak for themselves?”
To volunteer or find out more about the program, contact Keisha White at the Williamsburg County ad Litem offices at 133 E. Main Street in Kingstree next to the Christian Book Store in downtown, by calling 843-354-3291.
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