In Metro Atlanta’s family courts, one mom says a single recommendation from a court-appointed child advocate flipped her life upside down. Now she is trying to flip the system right back.
Kitty Mayo, a Metro Atlanta mother and founder of Georgia Protective Parents, is pressing state lawmakers to tighten the rules around guardians ad litem after she says one guardian's recommendation derailed her custody case. Mayo and other parents describe a system that feels like a black box: volunteers or attorneys can be appointed to represent a child’s interests without uniform training, a central registry, or a clear way to complain. They say those guardians hold enormous power, yet parents fear that speaking up about a guardian’s conduct could backfire in their own cases.
As reported by 11Alive, Mayo drafted proposed legislation that would create a statewide registry of guardians ad litem, set minimum training requirements, and build a formal process for reviewing complaints. She told the station she spent more than an hour working the rope line outside the Georgia Senate chamber, trying to buttonhole lawmakers. She says she will keep lobbying until someone agrees to carry the bill. Parents interviewed in the same report said guardian ad litem write-ups sometimes left out witness testimony and left families feeling there were “no checks and balances.”
How appointments and training are supposed to work
On paper, Georgia law requires guardians ad litem to advocate for a child’s best interests and to receive appropriate training before they are appointed. State statute also spells out a guardian’s basic duties and confidentiality rules, as outlined in Justia, which publishes the text of O.C.G.A. § 15-11-105.
The Georgia Office of the Child Advocate explains that judges can appoint either attorneys or non-attorneys to serve as guardians ad litem. The agency advises that concerns about an attorney serving as a guardian can be raised with the State Bar of Georgia or with the judge who made the appointment.
Training and oversight vary across courts
Groups that train guardians say the basic curriculum is guided by statewide rules but carried out at the local level, which leaves plenty of room for variation in how deep the training goes and how it is verified. Georgia Guardians ad Litem, which provides the basic and advanced trainings called for in Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.9, holds annual conferences and offers instruction that circuits can approve.
That patchwork setup, trainers and parents say, is exactly why advocates like Mayo are pushing for a registry and tighter oversight. The work is serious and highly consequential, they argue, but the guardrails are uneven.
Why parents want reform
Guardians ad litem do not just observe cases from the sidelines. They investigate families, interview key players, and then submit written reports. In custody and visitation fights, those reports can land with a thud. The Uniform Superior Court Rules and state code require guardians to present findings and recommendations to the court, and in practice, judges often lean heavily on that input when deciding where children will live and how often parents will see them.
Parents and advocates say a statewide registry and clearer standards would give everyone a better way to flag troubling patterns, track repeat complaints and make sure people who wield that kind of influence are subject to basic accountability.
How to raise concerns now
For families who believe a guardian ad litem has stepped out of line, the current advice is far from simple. Parents are generally urged to start by talking with their own attorney, then ask the judge who appointed the guardian to review specific conduct.
The Georgia Office of the Child Advocate offers an online complaint form and describes itself as an ombudsman for child-welfare concerns. The agency suggests contacting CASA if the guardian is connected with that program, or filing an ethics complaint with the State Bar when the guardian is a lawyer.
Parents are also told to carefully document timelines, witness names and written communications. That paper trail can matter a lot if they decide to push for a formal review.
What’s next
Mayo told 11Alive she plans to keep buttonholing lawmakers until someone agrees to introduce her draft bill. As of the station’s reporting, no legislator had filed it.
Whether the Georgia General Assembly or the courts themselves will move toward a registry, standardized training checks, or a centralized complaints office remains an open question. Any overhaul would have to be written carefully so it increases accountability without undercutting the investigative role guardians are supposed to play.
In the meantime, parents and advocacy groups say they will keep pressing for reforms that make the process less murky. The fight over guardians ad litem highlights a familiar tension in family court: judges rely on outside investigators to help decide what is best for children, but those investigators work inside a regulatory maze that is anything but uniform.
For parents like Mayo, the bottom line is straightforward. Clearer rules, public records of who serves and a trusted way to log concerns, she argues, could rebuild faith in a system where a single report can reshape a family’s future.
