(b) The Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office shall, within available resources, have oversight responsibilities for and provide technical assistance to all guardian ad litem and attorney ad litem programs located within the judicial circuits.1. The office shall identify the resources required to implement methods of collecting, reporting, and tracking reliable and consistent case data.
2. The office shall review the current guardian ad litem programs in Florida and other states.
3. The office, in consultation with local guardian ad litem offices, shall develop statewide performance measures and standards.
4. The office shall develop a guardian ad litem training program, which shall include, but is not limited to, training on the recognition of and responses to head trauma and brain injury in a child under 6 years of age. The office shall establish a curriculum committee to develop the training program specified in this subparagraph. The curriculum committee shall include, but not be limited to, dependency judges, directors of circuit guardian ad litem programs, active certified guardians ad litem, a mental health professional who specializes in the treatment of children, a member of a child advocacy group, a representative of a domestic violence advocacy group, an individual with a degree in social work, and a social worker experienced in working with victims and perpetrators of child abuse.
5. The office shall review the various methods of funding guardian ad litem programs, maximize the use of those funding sources to the extent possible, and review the kinds of services being provided by circuit guardian ad litem programs.
6. The office shall determine the feasibility or desirability of new concepts of organization, administration, financing, or service delivery designed to preserve the civil and constitutional rights and fulfill other needs of dependent children.
7. In an effort to promote normalcy and establish trust between a court-appointed volunteer guardian ad litem and a child alleged to be abused, abandoned, or neglected under this chapter, a guardian ad litem may transport a child. However, a guardian ad litem volunteer may not be required or directed by the program or a court to transport a child.
8. The office shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court an interim report describing the progress of the office in meeting the goals as described in this section. The office shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court a proposed plan including alternatives for meeting the state’s guardian ad litem and attorney ad litem needs. This plan may include recommendations for less than the entire state, may include a phase-in system, and shall include estimates of the cost of each of the alternatives. Each year the office shall provide a status report and provide further recommendations to address the need for guardian ad litem services and related issues.