I am the Voice of a Child - Dearborn-Ohio County Child Advocates

The Dearborn–Ohio County Child Advocates of Indiana is an organization that services the community by advocating for the needs of children who are at risk for abuse and neglect. The child advocate program trains and supports its volunteers to speak as the voice for these children who are in need of services through the family court system. This program is administered through the Dearborn-Ohio Circuit Court.

The purpose of the Dearborn – Ohio County Child Advocates of Indiana (also known as a guardian ad litem) is to advocate for children in the community who are parties or affected by litigation involving potential or actual abuse and/or neglect. The Dearborn and Ohio County Circuit Courts must appoint an advocate in the following situations:

1. Children in Need of Services (CHINS)
2. Termination of Parental Rights

The Dearborn and Ohio County Circuit Courts may appoint an advocate in the following situations:

1. Adoption Proceedings
2. Guardianship Proceedings
3. Paternity Proceedings

The child advocate program will make children who are involved in CHINS proceedings its highest priority. The child advocate program will serve only those children for whom Court appointment has been made. The child advocate program will serve children ranging in ages from infancy to eighteen (18) years of age. In special circumstances the child advocate program will serve those who are between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-one (21) years of age.