Why I No Longer Work as a Guardian ad Litem: A Candid Look Behind the Scenes
By Blue Falcons Investigation
For years, I volunteered as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) because I believed in the mission: to advocate for children who cannot advocate for themselves. I went in with professional investigative experience, integrity, and the determination to make sure every child’s voice was heard.
Over time, I discovered that the Guardian ad Litem system is deeply flawed, structurally inconsistent, and often works against the best interests of the very children it claims to protect. As the owner of Blue Falcons Investigation, a licensed investigative agency that regularly supports family law, child custody, and high-conflict parenting cases, I know what it looks like when children are protected properly — and what it looks like when they aren’t.
This article explains exactly why I no longer work as a GAL, what I witnessed firsthand, and how agencies like Blue Falcons Investigation and nonprofit programs like Blue Falcons C.A.R.E. are stepping up to fill the gap for families who desperately need reliable advocacy.
- Too Many Supervisors, Not Enough Investigators Doing Actual Work
Juvenile court cases often involve a swarm of professionals:
- Mother’s attorney
- Father’s attorney
- Child’s Guardian ad Litem
- GAL attorney
- DSS involvement
- State-appointed attorney
- Case managers and supervisors
Each brings their own opinion — but the Guardian ad Litem is supposed to be the neutral investigative party who speaks for the child and documents the truth.
When a child tells the GAL…
- They feel safer with one parent
- They prefer a specific home
- They fear a parent
- They’ve experienced neglect or abuse
…the GAL should be able to present those facts clearly in court.
But what I repeatedly experienced was a system where the GAL’s findings were overshadowed, rewritten, or outright ignored.
- DSS Prioritizes Reunification — Even When It Isn’t Safe
This is one of the biggest issues I witnessed.
DSS has one default mission: reunify the family.
Even when the evidence — and the child — clearly indicated they needed something different.
The GAL’s responsibility is fundamentally different:
- Determine the safest living arrangement
- Conduct home evaluations
- Document real conditions
- Recommend supervised visits when needed
- Support placing the child with the safest caregiver
But DSS’s agenda often overrode the child’s reality.
As a private investigator, I’m trained to evaluate evidence without bias. I could clearly see when reunification was harmful. Yet DSS frequently dismissed those concerns, creating unsafe outcomes that no investigator — or caring adult — should ever be comfortable with.
- Evidence Was Ignored While Hearsay Was Treated as Fact
In one case, I had clear video evidence of a child being grabbed by the throat and thrown into a room.
My case manager looked at it and said:
“That is not evidence.”
But the same people treated rumor-based hearsay as credible and usable.
This is not just a flaw in the system — it’s a danger to children.
- My Reports Were Rewritten to Remove the Truth
My written reports included:
- The child’s actual statements
- Evidence-based observations
- Concerns about misconduct
- Documentation of communication failures
- Clear, factual timelines
Managers repeatedly told me:
- “Remove this.”
- “Rewrite that.”
- “Don’t mention this.”
- “Take that out.”
By the time the reports reached court, they reflected politics, not truth.
I refused to lie.
I asked to testify.
And instead of acknowledging the issues, the system simply removed me from the case.
The message was clear:
Truth is inconvenient. Silence is preferred.
- I Was Told How to Investigate — Despite Years of Experience
I joined the GAL program with:
- Advanced interview training
- Evidence-handling expertise
- Specialized skills in family law investigations
Yet I was told to follow ineffective, outdated investigative methods that contradicted basic logic and safety standards.
The only truly helpful training I received came from a single one-on-one session that lasted just one hour.
The rest?
Repetitive, outdated content taught by people who had never worked a real investigation.
- The Reports Were Sloppy, Repetitive, and Unprofessional
Report formats were:
- Unorganized
- Filled with unnecessary filler
- Redundant
- Not courtroom-ready
When I offered to help reformat the reports into a professional standard used by licensed investigators, the answer was:
“That’s just the way we do things.”
A refusal to modernize is a refusal to improve child safety.
- Communication Was Nonexistent — And I Was Blamed for Their Failures
The child I represented was moved seven times.
I was only notified once.
I spent hours driving to empty locations, tracking down the child without support, and documenting every communication failure — only to be blamed for “not keeping up.”
This wasn’t a communication problem.
It was a leadership problem.
- Court Orders Were Ignored — And I Was Held Responsible
Medical providers ignored court orders granting me access to the child’s records.
They ignored:
- Emails
- Phone calls
- Court documentation
When I reported this to supervisors, they said:
“We’ll handle it.”
They didn’t.
But I was still blamed for missing information that I was legally blocked from obtaining.
Where the Guardian ad Litem System Could Improve
The system doesn’t need to be destroyed — it needs reform, modernization, and accountability.
- Fewer Managers, More True Investigators
Let the trained investigator — the GAL — conduct the investigation without interference from DSS, supervisors, or politics.
- Allow Licensed Private Investigators to Serve as GALs
Attorney guardians perform their own investigations because they are authorized to.
Licensed private investigators could perform the same role with:
- Better evidence documentation
- Stronger interviews
- Professional case handling
- Testimony based on real fieldwork
- No bureaucratic interference
As the owner of Blue Falcons Investigation, I know firsthand how much more thorough child-focused investigations could be if professional investigators were empowered to participate.
How Blue Falcons Investigation Helps Fill the Gaps
When families, attorneys, and courts turn to Blue Falcons Investigation, they receive:
- Accurate, unbiased evidence
- Professional surveillance
- Legally defensible documentation
- Consistent communication
- Investigators with real experience
- Reports that hold up in court
We routinely work on:
- High-conflict custody cases
- DSS-related concerns
- Co-parenting disputes
- Child safety assessments
- Evidence review and documentation
Where the GAL system struggles, private investigation fills the gap with professionalism, integrity, and transparency.
The Role of Blue Falcons C.A.R.E.
Our nonprofit, Blue Falcons C.A.R.E. (Co-parenting Access, Resources, and Education), was created because families in crisis need more than just investigations.
Blue Falcons C.A.R.E. provides:
- Financial assistance for parents in high-conflict custody cases
- Educational resources
- Support for families navigating DSS involvement
- Help accessing communication tools (like co-parenting apps)
- Community-focused assistance for parents trying to protect their children
Where the system fails to support families, our organization steps in to make sure children are safer, parents are informed, and the truth is documented.
Final Thoughts: The System Lost Me — Not the Other Way Around
I didn’t leave the Guardian ad Litem program because I stopped caring.
I left because the system refused to let me tell the truth.
What I witnessed included:
- Evidence being ignored
- Reports being altered
- Communication breakdowns
- DSS overriding child safety
- Court orders being dismissed
- Volunteers being overworked and undertrained
- Children getting lost in bureaucracy
I will always fight for children — but I will never again participate in a system that silences investigators and protects politics over safety.
Walking away didn’t mean giving up.
It meant refusing to be complicit.
And through Blue Falcons Investigation and Blue Falcons C.A.R.E., I can continue advocating for families and children the right way — with transparency, truth, and accountability.
