State Guardian ad Litem director urges budget increase to address high turnover and caseloads

Barbara Oliver, director of the state Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program administered through Youth Works, told the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division committee that the program is struggling to recruit and retain advocates and that staffing shortages are reducing the time advocates can spend on individual cases.

Oliver said the program has lost 31 different guardian ad litems “from 02/2 to today” (as stated in testimony) and that 16 of those left after between one day and nine months, with an average tenure of about three months. She described North Dakota caseloads as “extremely high,” citing Minnesota’s average of 17 to 22 families per guardian ad litem for comparison and saying parts of North Dakota are running “over 30 families up to 50 families at a time.”

Oliver said the office currently has three full-time guardian ad litems and 10 part-time guardian ad litems, plus a supervisor and a director. She said the supervisor and director continue to take cases because of the high caseload, which “significantly impacts our ability to do proper supervision.”

Oliver detailed pay and expense conditions that she said affect recruitment: when she began working in the program the top hourly pay was $22.29; she said the top pay now is $27.65, and she characterized that as the only hourly pay increase in 25 years. She said full‑time workers typically earn about $25 per hour or less and that the program provides $50 per year for office supplies. Oliver said the program recently began paying $20 per month for cell phone coverage and $30 per month for Internet, and that GALs are currently expected to provide their own vehicles and basic supplies when working from home.

Asked about applicant background and qualifications, Oliver said applicants must have an associate’s degree and three years’ experience working with children, or a bachelor’s degree with less direct experience; she added that the “quality of the pool is insufficient to meet the demands of the job.”

Oliver asked the committee to consider a substantial budget increase, saying she and the supervisor have worked 60 hours a week for the last three years and that “we cannot continue to run this program the way that we have run.” She said she would answer committee questions and noted continued difficulties recruiting in the Minot area.

The committee did not vote on a specific appropriation during the session covered by the transcript; the GAL director’s remarks were presented as information for the committee’s budget deliberations.