The State of Florida Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Program resulted from the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974. This act provided financial assistance to the states for programs which prevented, identified and treated child abuse and neglect. To obtain funds provided by the act, the states were required to provide for the appointment of guardians ad litem to represent children involved in judicial proceedings alleging child abuse or neglect. While such funds were not utilized by the State of Florida for the provision of GAL representation for children, the Act did provide the impetus for the Florida Legislature to become the nation's vanguard in providing statewide GAL services.

In 1980, the Florida Legislatrure appropriated funds to the Office of the State Courts Administrator to implement a pilot program that would examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a volunteer based program for the delivery of guardian ad litem services for abused and neglected children. The evaluation report of the pilot program concluded that the volunteer model, consisting of lay persons recruited, trained, and supervised by professional staff, was a feasible, economical, and effective means of providing guardian ad litem services to Florida's abused and neglected children.

In subsequent years, the Legislature provided funding for the establishment of guardian ad litem programs in every circuit to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children through a volunteer model. By 1990, all of Florida's twenty judicial circuits had volunteer-based programs for the delivery of guardian ad litem services that were administratively managed by the trial courts.

The volunteer model for the delivery of guardian ad litem representation involves the use of non-law trained persons to provide comprehensive information gathering, monitoring, and advocacy services. The lay volunteer functions under the supervision and at the direction of Guardian Ad Litem Program personnel. When legal assistance is necessary, the program attorney, who serves as legal counsel to the Guardian Ad Litem Program, provides support to the lay volunteer. The Florida Guardian Ad Litem Program operates in each judicial circuit under the administrative supervision of the chief judge according to State of Florida Guardian Ad Litem Minimal Standards of Operation promulgated by the Florida Supreme Court. These standards were developed to ensure quality representation of the best interests of children in abuse and neglect judicial proceedings by well-trained advocates. Qualifications for guardian ad litem volunteers are established by state law and further delineated in the Standards of Operation and local circuit policy.