About Us

In child abuse cases in Indianapolis, both the parents and the State of Indiana are represented by legal counsel. There was a time when the children had no one to represent them. That changed in 1982 with the creation of Child Advocates.

Child Advocates, formerly known as the Guardian Ad Litem Project, was founded by the Indianapolis Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) in 1982, because NCJW and the courts recognized the need for abused and neglected children to have independent representation. In 1988, NCJW turned over the Guardian Ad Litem Project to the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society. In 1982 the project was incorporated as Child Advocates, Inc. and became a stand-alone agency.

Child advocates number one goal is to provide independent, child-focused representation to every child who has suffered abuse and/or neglect. Child Advocates is the only agency to hold contract with the Indianapolis Juvenile Court to provide this service.

Child Advocates is a 501 (c) (3) agency and is certified by the National CASA Association and the Indiana State Office of GAL/CASA.