They are the voice for the children that don’t have one. They show up in court to be an advocate for the child.
They are Guardian ad Litems and they are in every county in every state of the country.
It was an ad Litem who spoke up in a courtroom for 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau.
They said they did not feel like Jordan should be reunited with his mom and dad.
The documents show a general magistrate said all the conditions that caused Jordan to be taken from his mom in the first place had been fixed and it was in the best interest of the child to be back with his mom. A judge agreed even though the ad Litem did not.
The ad Litem on Jordan’s case was not available to speak on camera Friday but the director for the 6th judicial circuit Mariela Olsen was.
“Our mission is for the child. It is simple. We advocate for the best interest of the child. We do that through volunteers,” said Olsen.
Olsen would not speak specifically on Jordan’s case but made it clear that an ad Litem’s sole focus is the child.
“It’s sad. It’s tragic what happened on so many levels," said Olsen. "No one does this job thinking something tragic will happen. We do it because we want to make a difference.”
The Guardian ad Litem program is always looking for volunteers. People interesting in volunteering can get information on their website.
Photos: Jordan Belliveau with his foster family
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