Are GALs only for children in Child in Need of Aid (CINA) cases?
No. GALs may be appointed by the court in other types of cases involving children apart from CINA cases. GALs may be appointed by the court in any case. Some examples are domestic violence cases where a restraining order is filed on behalf of a child, in juvenile delinquency cases, in private child custody cases between divorcing parents, in adult criminal cases where there is a child victim, or when a child has been admitted to API without prior judicial authorization.
