Guardian Ad Litem assists PAS

[SueDanNH]

Have you been subjected to a biased GAL who does her job last minute and does not understand the dynamics of PAS? We have and we are not going to take it any more: if you have experienced GAL bias (especially in New Hampshire) please post. Parent Alienation Syndrome is very real and if the GAL does not stay unbiased, the results can greatly damage the emotional well-being of the child(ren) involved. Our GAL assured us that she was in favor of keeping the child in both parents' homes with the agreement that all involved would attend counseling. Three days before the scheduled hearing, the GAL announced that she was concerned about my (the step-father's) being a verbal disciplinarian to my step-daughter. Take into consideration that I have worked as a teacher in a public school; coached many youth sports teams; and have four kids of my own: two teenage boys who live with me full time and two younger kids who visit on weekends. I have been investigated by the state of New Hampshire and Vermotont and no problems have been found. However, the New Hampshire GAL continues to see things the way of my wife's ex. He has a past of abusive behavoirs and many false accusations against me, but the GAL does not agree that keeping the minor child in both homes is good. Isn't it the mission of a GAL to keep families united?
We have hired an excellent attorney who is going to bring justice to our case, but we wish to be actively involved to help others who may fall victim to lazy GAL's who do their job last minute and refuse to be unbiased. PLease post

[iamn00n3]

My divorce/custody is also in NH. My wife has filed false claims of domestic violence that i was unable to defeat. Temporary hearing is this thursday and i have been filing motions with bcsc since the beginning to have an emergency appointment of a gal, to look into the kids living conditions, which i have proof is horrible. I am actually looking forward to the appointment of the gal since there will finally be someone involved who is looking out for the kids best intersts, and not sided one way or the other. Any advice out there from someone who has been through this already? My attorney is extremely competent, but unfortunately is also extremely busy. It sounds weak, but i could really use someone experienced to hold my hand through this difficult time.

[SueDanNH]

Well, it would be helpful to know where you are from, but please heed my warning: it is not uncommon for the GAL to take a position one way or the other. My wife ran in in-home daycare for eight years; being home for her daughter was paramount for her; I have four kids of my own and have worked in the public school system and coached yout sports for several years. Even though we seem a model couple and have proven to be more than competent care providers we ran into difficulties when her ex began making false allegations about me: he accused me of breaking into his house and being abusive to his daughter. I even had the police sent to my house more than 15 time is two months; each time the police found nothing and eventually refused to go to my home due to the many false allegations. None of this is true and many have spoken their opinion that they feel I am a positive influence to my step-daughter.
Well, my wife and I were glad when a GAL was appointed, but were shocked when the GAL announced just three days before the custody hearing that she believed my wife's ex. We were disheartened when my wife lost custody of her daughter. I haven't seen her in ten months and my wife is only allowed to see her daughter for four hours each week.
The shocker of this all is that the GAL has NOT worked to reunite this family; instead, she has dragged her feet and continued to work at keeping my step-daughter away from me.
Aother fact that makes the GAL involved look incompetent and biased is that there was a GAL appointed in my own custody case in another state: the result of this GAL investigation was my being awarded more visitation and contact with my own children. My wife and I have hired a very good lawyer and he truly sees classic Parent Alienation Syndrome with the GAL taking a biased stance against my wife and me. I simply will not rest until this GAL is no longer legally able to perform the duties as a GAL: she is not able to see both sides for the good of the child involved. She even had a counselor/ friend become involved who refuses to speak to my wife. This is a clear violation of the mission of a counselor, but since the GAL is friends with her, she refuses to instruct the counselor to invite my wife in for a meeting.
My warning to you is clear: do not trust anyone and always keep accurate notes and recordings, if possible. In my experience I have seen female GALs take a negative stance toward men who are accused of domestic violence. It is hard for a woman to forget she is a woman. My ex accused me of the same and it took a full year for me to convince the GAL that my ex is a liar.
We have our hearing in a couple of weeks and we are gearing up to prove that this GAL is biased and has not worked for the good of the child. As I said, after more than ten years of battling the system I am now educated and motivated enough to work toward making a difference for the good of the kids who more often than not become victims. Keep the faith and trust no one other than yourself and your lawyer.
D

[SueDanNH]

ASK FOR A MALE GAL

[reneepals]

how long did it take for th gal to contact you when she was appointed? I still haven't met mine and its been since jan 27th that she was appointed

[SueDanNH]

The guardian was appointed in Nov. She never contacted me. Even after cashing my check. I finally got a hold of her in Feb. (our hearing was scheduled for March 1st).She was unprepared for this hearing and asked the judge for a continuance. This took another 2 months and she waited until the last two weeks to do her job. May I ask what county you are in?