Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware does not license guardian ad litem work through a standalone board. Child cases run through Family Court and the Office of the Child Advocate under 29 Del. C. ch. 90A, including CASA volunteers. Attorney GALs need Delaware bar admission. Public child representation is state funded. Private custody fees sit in the appointment order. Confirm training dates and any fee with OCA or the court.
What is the guardian ad litem board in Delaware?
Delaware does not have a guardian ad litem board. People search that phrase because other states use it. Here the work is a court appointment, not an occupational card from a licensing bureau.
Oversight is split across a few real offices. Family Court appoints. The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) runs attorney child advocates and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program under 29 Del. C. Chapter 90A. [1] The Child Protection Accountability Commission reviews the child protection system. It does not license you. [2] Attorneys answer to the Delaware Supreme Court through the Board of Bar Examiners. [3]
Call the Division of Professional Regulation and ask for a GAL board. Staff will hand you a list of actual boards. Nursing. Real estate. Accountancy. Cosmetology. Guardian ad litem is not on that list. [4] That is not a website gap. The State never built that license.
Keep the map small. Three counties. One child-advocate office. Judges in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. If you want child work, you talk to OCA or to Family Court, not to a fictional board window on Loockerman Street.
Other states built heavier GAL offices and thicker published manuals. Connecticut is a nearby example if you like side-by-side structure. Read guardian ad litem board in connecticut after this if you are comparing paper paths. Delaware stayed court-centered and short on statewide GAL marketing.
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No. Delaware does not issue a guardian ad litem occupational license.
What you need depends on the seat. A CASA volunteer clears OCA screening, finishes the training OCA actually schedules, and waits for a written court appointment. [6] An attorney GAL needs admission to the Delaware Bar, then a judicial appointment. [3] A deputy child advocate is OCA staff or contract counsel working under Chapter 90A. [1] None of those paths is a DPR license.
Federal law still sits behind the child-welfare cases. CAPTA requires states to have, in the statute's words, "provisions and procedures requiring that in every case involving a victim of child abuse or neglect which results in a judicial proceeding, a guardian ad litem, who has received training appropriate to the role, including training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development, and who may be an attorney or a court appointed special advocate who has received training appropriate to that role (or both), shall be appointed to represent the child in such proceedings." That is 42 U.S.C. § 5106a. [5] Delaware meets it through OCA and CASA.
Do not pay a private site that says it can sell you a Delaware GAL license. There is nothing to buy from the State under that name. A framed certificate will not get you past a clerk in Georgetown.
Who actually appoints a guardian ad litem in Delaware?
Family Court judges appoint in child cases. OCA decides which children need an OCA attorney or a CASA and puts those names in front of the court. [1] [6] The appointment is an order. Not a handshake.
Private custody cases (two parents, no DSCYF petition) are a different track. The judge can appoint a GAL when the child's interests need a separate voice. Title 13 already tells the court how to decide the underlying dispute. 13 Del. C. § 722 says the court "shall determine the legal custody and residential arrangements for a child in accordance with the best interests of the child." [7] A GAL in that setting is a court officer. You are not parent A's extra lawyer.
Adult incapacity work is not this job. Those petitions go to the Court of Chancery under 12 Del. C. Chapter 39. [8] Different building. Different statute.
Family Court's subject-matter lane itself is in Title 10, Chapter 9. Read that chapter if you need the jurisdictional hook, not a blog summary of "what Family Court handles." [12] Then read the actual order in your case. Scope lives there. Verbal hallway promises do not create the role.
What does the Office of the Child Advocate do?
OCA is a judicial-branch office created in Title 29, Chapter 90A. It is the closest thing Delaware has to a statewide child GAL shop. [1] 29 Del. C. Chapter 90A places the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program inside the Office of the Child Advocate.
The office figures out which children need representation. It staffs attorney child advocates. It runs CASA. Delaware's official CASA page sits on the courts site. [6] You will not find a separate county CASA nonprofit on every Main Street the way you do in some large states.
CPAC is the policy and review body tied to the same chapter. Commissioners look at deaths, near deaths, and system gaps. They do not process your volunteer form. [2] Do not mail CPAC your resume and expect a case.
I would treat OCA as the first phone call if you want child work. Not DPR. Not a private certification mill. Not a Facebook group that "places GALs in all 50 states."
OCA's docket is child-welfare heavy. Think DSCYF custody under Title 13, Chapter 25, plus related permanency fights. [10] If your real interest is a private high-conflict custody case between two well-lawyered parents, say that out loud. That appointment usually comes from the Family Court judge, not from an OCA volunteer class.
How do you become a CASA volunteer in Delaware?
You apply through the Office of the Child Advocate's CASA program, complete screening, finish the training OCA schedules, and wait for a court appointment. [6] That is the whole volunteer path.
I will not invent the current class length or the next start date. Those move. National writeups of CASA programs often describe a multi-week pre-service model, and Delaware's program sits in that family. Confirm hours, ride-along rules, and background-check vendors with OCA before you block Fridays. [6] [9]
You will not get a case by printing a certificate. The court has to appoint you. The child has to be a child OCA can assign. If OCA's class is full, you wait. Nobody has a clean public dataset on Delaware CASA wait times that I trust enough to quote as a number.
Ask which county they need. Delaware is small on a map and slow in a storm. Georgetown to Wilmington is a real drive. If you cannot make an unannounced home visit and an afternoon hearing in the same week, do not apply.
Bring patience and a working car. Leave the laminated "Certified GAL" badge at home.
How do attorneys get appointed as GAL in Delaware?
Get admitted to the Delaware Bar through the Board of Bar Examiners. Confirm the current exam format, application packet, and fee on the admissions page. I am not going to quote a bar fee that may have changed. [3]
Then you get on a judge's radar. Some lawyers take OCA deputy or contract work under Chapter 90A. [1] Some take private custody GAL appointments from Family Court judges who already know their trial work. There is no public GAL roster lottery with a published quota that I can point you to.
Out-of-state counsel should not assume a Pennsylvania or Maryland ticket lets them appear as a Delaware GAL next week. Ask the Board of Bar Examiners and the appointing judge. Pro hac vice is a motion. It is not a business plan.
Compared with guardian ad litem board in florida or guardian ad litem board in california, Delaware's attorney path is smaller and more relationship-driven. That can be efficient. It can also mean silence if you mail a cold resume to a general clerk inbox.
I would not print business cards that say "Licensed Guardian ad Litem." You are a Delaware lawyer with a court appointment, or you are not in the role.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
There is no honest single price for guardian ad litem delaware work.
In DSCYF dependency and related child-welfare cases, the child's OCA attorney or CASA is publicly funded. [1] [10] Parents still pay their own lawyers if they hire them. Do not budget a child-GAL invoice the way you would in a private custody fight.
In private custody, the appointment order usually says who pays, at what rate, and whether fees are split. Rates are not a statewide posted tariff like a marriage-license fee. Confirm the number in the order and in any engagement letter. If a website quotes one Delaware hourly rate as if it were a statute, ignore it.
Court filing fees are a separate line from GAL fees. Family Court's jurisdiction is statutory. [12] The dollar amounts on the clerk's fee list change by administrative action. Pull the current list from the courts site the week you file.
If you want a paper checklist of documents courts tend to ask for, GALPath sells a $149 one-time GAL Certification Kit. It is not a Delaware credential and it does not set a fee.
Waste of money: prepaid national GAL licenses, rush background-check vendors OCA did not name, and out-of-state hourly charts dropped into a Delaware fee affidavit. If you are comparing dollars across states anyway, start with Guardian ad litem cost in California depends on the case and What a guardian ad litem really costs in Colorado courts. Those markets will not price this one.
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
Appointment can happen at an early hearing. The work lasts as long as the case needs a child voice.
There is no license clock. I will not give you a fake "six to eight weeks to get licensed" figure. CASA training runs on OCA's calendar. [6] Bar admission runs on the Board's calendar. [3] Dependency cases under Title 13, Chapter 25 can close in months or stay open through permanency. [10] Private custody GAL work can be a short investigation or a long add-on to a high-conflict docket.
Confirm dates with the court coordinator or OCA. Blog averages are not evidence. If a scheduling order sets a report date, that date is your date. Miss it and you have a problem the statute will not fix.
Child-welfare time is also driven by facts on the ground (placement, paternity, relative searches), not by a GAL stopwatch. Plan your calendar around hearings that already exist. Do not promise a parent a two-week "GAL process."
What paperwork does Family Court actually use?
Start with the appointment order. It names you, the child, the scope, and often the fee terms. If it is not in the order, do not invent the power.
Child-welfare files also run through DSCYF under Title 13, Chapter 25. That chapter is the custody-to-the-Department path. It is not a volunteer handbook. [10] Custody factors the court already has to weigh are in 13 Del. C. § 722. [7] Read them before you write a word of a report.
Map findings to those factors. Do not map them to your personal parenting style. Judges notice when a report never touches the statute they must apply.
Forms change. Download current Family Court forms from the Delaware courts site the week you file. Do not reuse a 2019 PDF you found in email. Caption, service, and confidential-information sheets are where people stumble.
If you want a side-by-side of how other states paper GAL work, guardian ad litem board in illinois and guardian ad litem board in georgia are useful contrasts. Delaware stays thinner on published GAL manuals. That is not an excuse to wing the order.
Adult guardians ad litem versus child appointments
People mix these up. A lot.
A child GAL or CASA in Family Court is about best interests and, in OCA cases, legal representation of the child. [1] [6] An adult guardianship in the Court of Chancery is about a person with an alleged disability and decisions over person or property under 12 Del. C. Chapter 39. [8]
Different court. Different statute. Different skill set. Completing CASA training does not make you an adult guardian. Passing the bar does not automatically put you on a Chancery list.
If your actual goal is adult work, start with the Chancery guardianship packets and Chapter 39. Do not call OCA and ask them to deputize you for a nursing-home case. They will not.
Family Court still has plenty of gray (older teens, dual-status youth, crossover with criminal). Stay inside the order. If the person is an adult under Chapter 39, you are in the wrong shop.
What training and ethics rules apply?
CASA volunteers take the training OCA requires and follow program policy plus the appointment order. [6] Attorneys take the Delaware Lawyers' Rules of Professional Conduct on top of that order. [3]
A lawyer GAL still has confidentiality and conflict problems. A parent will try to treat you like their second counsel. You represent the child's best interests or the child, depending on the appointment language. Read the order twice. Then read it again after the first angry email.
CAPTA's training clause is federal policy pressure, not a Delaware diploma you can buy. [5] Child Welfare Information Gateway's state-statute series on representation of children is the cleanest national overview I send people who want to see how Delaware sits next to other states. [9]
I would not spend money on a weekend "national GAL ethics" seminar until OCA or the appointing judge says that seminar counts. Most of them do not. Local program hours and the Delaware conduct rules beat a hotel ballroom certificate.
Common mistakes people make on the Delaware GAL path
They look for a board that does not exist. [4] They buy a certificate. They email a New Castle clerk and expect a Sussex appointment. They quote a Florida hourly rate in a Delaware fee affidavit. They treat CASA and attorney GAL as the same job.
They also undercount travel. Georgetown to Wilmington is not a five-minute hop. If you cannot make home visits and afternoon hearings, do not apply.
Another miss: writing a best-interests report that never mentions the § 722 factors. [7] The court already has a statutory list. Use it.
A quieter miss is talking about the case in the grocery line. Child files are not content. OCA and Family Court will not find that charming.
If you are still shopping structures, guardian ad litem board in arizona shows a larger county-by-county pattern. Delaware will feel tighter. That tightness is the point. One office. Three counties. Written orders.
What I'd actually do if I were starting in Delaware
I would call OCA first and ask whether they need CASA volunteers or contract counsel this quarter. [6] I would read 29 Del. C. Chapter 90A and 13 Del. C. § 722 the same night. [1] [7] I would pull current Family Court forms, not a summary post.
If I were already a Delaware lawyer, I would ask two Family Court practitioners how judges in my county actually pick GALs. I would confirm bar status on the admissions page instead of assuming last decade's exam story still holds. [3] I would not invent a fee. I would not promise a parent a completion date the scheduling order does not have.
If I were not a lawyer and not ready for CASA's time load, I would wait. This is not a side hustle you stand up with a logo.
GALPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a placement service. Use the kit at /start only if you want a document checklist. For the appointment itself, you still go through Family Court or OCA. Confirm every variable fact with those offices before you spend a dollar or take a week off work.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No. Delaware has no occupational GAL license and no GAL board at the Division of Professional Regulation. CASA volunteers go through OCA screening, training, and a court appointment. Attorney GALs need Delaware Bar admission plus a judicial appointment. Confirm current steps with OCA or the Board of Bar Examiners.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
There is no statewide posted GAL price. In DSCYF child-welfare cases the child's OCA attorney or CASA is publicly funded. In private custody the appointment order sets who pays and at what rate. Filing fees are a separate clerk list. Confirm both numbers locally. Ignore websites that invent one Delaware hourly rate.
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
There is no license wait because there is no license. A judge can appoint at an early hearing. CASA training follows OCA's calendar. The work then lasts as long as the case needs a child voice. Dependency and private custody timelines differ. Confirm dates with OCA or the court coordinator, not with a blog average.
Is there a Delaware guardian ad litem board I can call?
No. Call the Office of the Child Advocate for CASA and child-advocate work, Family Court for appointments and forms, or the Board of Bar Examiners if you are seeking attorney admission. CPAC reviews the child protection system. It does not issue GAL credentials or take volunteer walk-ins.
Can a non-attorney be a GAL in Delaware?
Yes, as a Court Appointed Special Advocate after OCA screening, required training, and a written court appointment. That volunteer path lives in 29 Del. C. Chapter 90A. It is not a private certificate. Non-attorneys should not hold themselves out as lawyer GALs or give legal advice to parents.
What is the difference between OCA and CASA in Delaware?
OCA is the judicial-branch office created by 29 Del. C. Chapter 90A. It staffs attorney child advocates and houses the CASA program. CASA volunteers are appointed advocates inside that office, not a separate county nonprofit. Both still need a court appointment before they touch a child's case.
Does Delaware Family Court appoint GALs in private custody cases?
Yes, when a judge decides the child needs a separate voice. That is a judicial appointment under the court's authority and the civil rules, not an OCA volunteer class. Fee terms, if any, belong in the order. Read 13 Del. C. § 722 before you write a best-interests report.
Where do I apply to be a CASA volunteer in Delaware?
Apply through the Office of the Child Advocate's CASA program on the Delaware courts site. Screening, training dates, and county need come from OCA. Do not apply to DPR and do not buy a third-party GAL certificate. Confirm the current application packet before you pay for fingerprints.
Do I need to be a Delaware lawyer to represent children for OCA?
Attorney child-advocate work requires Delaware Bar admission and an OCA role or court appointment. CASA volunteer work does not require a law license. Out-of-state lawyers should ask the Board of Bar Examiners about admission or limited appearance. Do not assume a neighboring-state ticket is enough.
Who pays the GAL in a DSCYF dependency case?
The child's OCA attorney or CASA is publicly funded in those child-welfare cases. Parents may still pay their own counsel. Do not expect a parent invoice for the child's advocate the way you might in a private custody GAL order. Confirm any cost order with the court if your case is mixed.
What is CPAC and does it license GALs?
The Child Protection Accountability Commission is the review and policy body tied to Chapter 90A. It studies system failures and child deaths. It does not license guardians ad litem, schedule CASA classes, or appoint you to a case. Licensing questions go nowhere there. Use OCA or Family Court instead.
Can I use an out-of-state GAL certificate in Delaware?
No. Delaware does not convert a private or out-of-state GAL certificate into an appointment. Child cases need OCA processing and a Family Court order. Attorney work needs Delaware admission unless the court grants a limited appearance. A Florida or online certificate will not move a Delaware clerk.
Where are the Family Court buildings for GAL work?
Family Court sits in Delaware's three counties: New Castle (Wilmington area), Kent (Dover), and Sussex (Georgetown). Confirm the current street address and drop-box rules on the courts site before you drive. Appointment county is the county of the case, not the county on your resume.
What if I want to be a GAL for an adult in Delaware?
That is Court of Chancery work under 12 Del. C. Chapter 39, not OCA CASA work. Different court, different packets, different skills. Child CASA training does not qualify you. Start with Chancery guardianship materials and confirm any attorney-appointment practice with that court, not with Family Court volunteer staff.
Sources
- Delaware Code, Title 29, Chapter 90A (Office of the Child Advocate): Chapter 90A creates the Office of the Child Advocate and houses the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program and related child-advocate duties.
- Delaware Courts, Child Protection Accountability Commission: CPAC is the child-protection review commission attached to the OCA structure and is not a GAL licensing board.
- Delaware Supreme Court, Bar Admissions: Attorney admission in Delaware runs through the Board of Bar Examiners and the Supreme Court admissions process.
- Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, Boards and Commissions: DPR's published board list does not include a guardian ad litem occupational board.
- U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 42 U.S.C. § 5106a: CAPTA requires appointment of a trained guardian ad litem or CASA in every child abuse or neglect judicial proceeding.
- Delaware Courts, Court Appointed Special Advocate Program: Delaware's CASA program is operated through the Office of the Child Advocate on the judicial branch site.
- Delaware Code, Title 13, Chapter 7, Subchapter II (custody; § 722): 13 Del. C. § 722 requires custody and residential arrangements to be decided in the best interests of the child.
- Delaware Code, Title 12, Chapter 39 (guardianship): Adult guardianship and related appointments are governed by 12 Del. C. Chapter 39 in the Court of Chancery, not by a child GAL board.
- Delaware Code, Title 13, Chapter 25 (DSCYF custody): Title 13, Chapter 25 is the statutory path for Department custody of abused, dependent, or neglected children in Delaware.
- Delaware Courts, Office of the Child Advocate CASA program page: Volunteer CASA applications and program contact run through OCA, not through DPR licensing.
- Delaware Code, Title 10, Chapter 9, Subchapter I (Family Court): Family Court's statutory organization and jurisdiction sit in Title 10, Chapter 9.