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The Oklahoma Guardian Ad Litem Institute is here to help give the children in family law litigation a voice in the courtroom involving their care and custody.  Our main mission is to advocate for the best interests of children from low income families, who are not in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, in family law cases involving their care, custody and visitation.  We serve children and families who cannot otherwise afford to pay for private services due to lack of income and resources.  We do not provide services in cases in juvenile courts.

When parties fight about the care and custody of minor children and family law courts, the adults may hire attorneys for themselves, but often times don't have the resources to hire and pay for an attorney to represent the best interests of the children. The result is that the children, who much of the litigation centers around, are often times not provided a voice in the litigation.  The Oklahoma Guardian Ad Litem Institute is here to be the voice for those children. We serve the public and the courts by doing an independent investigation regarding the best interests of children in family law courts; reporting to the courts the results of our investigation, including preferences of children who've reached a sufficient age and maturity to state a preference; and making recommendations regarding the care and custody of children that is in their best interests. Through our independent investigations, we help the courts determine the facts, needs of the children involved in family law litigation, and the resources appropriate to meet those needs.

In addition to giving a voice to children in the courtroom, we provide education to the community by offering classes and seminars to enhance the skills other guardians ad litem and other court experts, such as mental health professionals, throughout the State of Oklahoma to comply with statutory mandates. We also provide resources to others who represent the best interests of children throughout the State.  We are a centralized location for resources to assist in the representation of the best interests of children in family law litigation.