VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Attorneys
All volunteers who wish to serve as an attorney for a child charged with truancy must be a Georgia State Bar member in good standing and attend the TIP training seminar.

The attorney volunteer is appointed as the attorney/guardian ad litem for the child in a truancy case. The attorney has two roles in the courtroom: 1) advocating as an attorney for the child, and 2) looking after the child's best interest. In these roles the volunteer will make recommendations to the Court regarding programs and services to assist the child and family. Normally, the attorney will recommend a course of action to the child based on the facts of the case, and then counsel the child on the benefits and disadvantages of accepting or rejecting the recommendation. At the same time, the attorney tries to work with the child's preferences and special needs and find a way to accommodate them.

At times, the attorney assigned to a truancy case will come to a point in the case when he/she feels that the dual role of attorney and guardian ad litem has become a conflict. This may happen if issues of abuse and/or neglect arise or if the child wants the attorney to make recommendations that the attorney feels are adverse to the child's best interests. At that time, the attorney will contact the TIP staff and request that another volunteer serve as the guardian ad litem and advocate for the best interests of the child while the original volunteer maintains the role as attorney. The guardian ad litem will make recommendations as to what would be best for the child.

If a conflict develops between these two roles, such as evidence of deprivation or abuse, the attorney should immediately notify the TIP staff.  A TIP Case Manager will assign a different volunteer to serve as the guardian ad litem. The volunteer attorney will then continue in the role as attorney.

Attorneys are not restricted to truancy cases. They can also serve as the guardian ad litem in educational neglect cases, which are cases in which parents are charged with neglect for failing to provide an education for the child. They can also serve as advocates in our school-based program, which does not involve court representation.

Non-Attorneys
All volunteers who are not a member of the Georgia Bar Association must undergo a complete background check with the Fulton County Police Department and attend the TIP training seminar.

In educational neglect cases, complaints are filed against parents who have allegedly violated Georgia's school attendance laws. In these cases, volunteers are assigned as guardians ad litem to inform the court of the best interests of the child.

In early intervention cases, referrals are received directly from the school regarding children who have begun to show a pattern of poor attendance that has not yet risen to the level of court intervention. In these cases, volunteers are assigned to work with the child and family to rectify the situation and avoid the need for court intervention.