What does "best interests" really mean?
Juvenile court judges use the “best interest of the child” standard when making their decisions in child abuse and neglect cases. Child welfare and juvenile court practitioners and scholars have debated the meaning of “best interest of the child” for years. Books have been written on the subject; however, there is still no concise legal definition for this standard.
National CASA interprets the “best interest of the child” standard to mean that to determine the best interest of the child, the GAL/CASA volunteer should know the child they are appointed to advocate for, well enough to form fact-based recommendations to the court that address the child’s needs, and know appropriate resources to meet those needs.
The GAL/CASA volunteer also informs the court of the child’s wishes, whether or not those wishes are, in the opinion of the GAL/CASA volunteer, in the child’s best interest.
National CASA interprets the “best interest of the child” standard to mean that to determine the best interest of the child, the GAL/CASA volunteer should know the child they are appointed to advocate for, well enough to form fact-based recommendations to the court that address the child’s needs, and know appropriate resources to meet those needs.
The GAL/CASA volunteer also informs the court of the child’s wishes, whether or not those wishes are, in the opinion of the GAL/CASA volunteer, in the child’s best interest.