Rule 207.Appointment of Guardian ad Litem, Court Appointed Special Advocate, or counsel for the child

Best interests: mandatory. The court shall appoint an attorney authorised to practise law in this State, or a Court Appointed Special Advocate, to represent the best interests of the child. Not may — shall. No child goes through one of these cases unrepresented.

Allowing a CASA as the alternative is a deliberate widening. A trained volunteer advocate can spend time with a child that a caseload of hearings does not allow, and for a young child that presence is often worth more than a further lawyer.

Wishes: discretionary. The court may also appoint an attorney to represent the wishes of the child.

The distinction between the two appointments is the heart of the rule, and it is not a technicality. A representative of best interests advocates for what the adult judges good for the child; an attorney for the child's wishes says what the child actually wants. Those diverge often — a child usually wants to go home. When they diverge sharply enough to matter, the court can put both positions before itself.