by Brigitte Jolliet
My name is Brigitte — I’m a former foster youth from Florida and currently a third-year law student. I wrote this article in response to a memo written by Alan Abramowitz, the Executive Director of Florida’s Guardian ad Litem program. In his memo, Mr. Abramowitz responds to concerns about the state’s GAL program model and critiques other state models that provide direct legal representation to all foster youth. His reasoning presupposes that a child’s expressed wishes will be the controlling factor in a court’s rulings. He claims this will put foster youth at risk because, as he states, “most children want to return to their abuser. (1) ” Stereotypes such as this are widely rejected by experts, and the federal government is advising all child welfare agencies to identify and challenge similar biases that exist within the system.(2) His statement contradicts extensive research showing foster youth expression and choice is paramount.(3)
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